June 27, 2001
7:09 PM Subscribe
Whoo! I live on the fourth most dangerous intersection in Illinois.
4. Bolingbrook State Route 53 & Boughton Road 1408
Do you live next to an intersection of DEATH?
4. Bolingbrook State Route 53 & Boughton Road 1408
Do you live next to an intersection of DEATH?
There's only one listing for California -- and it's in Sacramento?!? And here I thought L.A. invented bad driving (while San Francisco perfected it).
posted by jjg at 7:43 PM on June 27, 2001
posted by jjg at 7:43 PM on June 27, 2001
Yes, I do live near an "intersection of death", but that is just because drivers in Louisiana haven't figured out what to do when there are other cars on the road. I thought drivers were bad on the East Coast, and then I moved to the West Coast...and then I moved to the Gulf Coast.
posted by sighofrelief at 7:50 PM on June 27, 2001
posted by sighofrelief at 7:50 PM on June 27, 2001
New Jersey:
No list available. That's because they are all dangerous. Especially the "Cloverleaf" between 4 and 7 - which is 10 min from here
posted by brucec at 7:53 PM on June 27, 2001
No list available. That's because they are all dangerous. Especially the "Cloverleaf" between 4 and 7 - which is 10 min from here
posted by brucec at 7:53 PM on June 27, 2001
I try driving very carefully, I mean I never speed, and if I do it's 3-4 miles over speed limit. I never trusted those that say the 10 miles over rule stands. People are too cocky, they tailgate and honk obnoxiously at you not going on red lights.
It makes me want to impersonate Robert Loggia and scream "Do you know how many car length it takes to stop a car traveling 30 miles an hour? Six! Six fuckin' car lengths! That's a hundred and six fuckin' feet, mister! If I had to stop suddenly, you woulda hit me. I want you to get a fuckin' driver's manual, and I want you to study that motherfucker. And I want you to obey the the goddamn rules! Fifty-fuckin' thousand people were killed on the highway last year 'cause of fuckin' assholes like you. Tell me you're gonna get a manual!"
posted by tiaka at 7:55 PM on June 27, 2001
It makes me want to impersonate Robert Loggia and scream "Do you know how many car length it takes to stop a car traveling 30 miles an hour? Six! Six fuckin' car lengths! That's a hundred and six fuckin' feet, mister! If I had to stop suddenly, you woulda hit me. I want you to get a fuckin' driver's manual, and I want you to study that motherfucker. And I want you to obey the the goddamn rules! Fifty-fuckin' thousand people were killed on the highway last year 'cause of fuckin' assholes like you. Tell me you're gonna get a manual!"
posted by tiaka at 7:55 PM on June 27, 2001
I used to jaywalk across Georgia's #5 to catch the bus. scary stuff. North Druid Hills around 85 is pretty bad all around - poorly timed, closely spaced lights for a stretch of about a mile, and specially formulated lane marker paint designed to wash away in the rain.
posted by Vetinari at 8:32 PM on June 27, 2001
posted by Vetinari at 8:32 PM on June 27, 2001
Oh, this is a good thread to ask: what the fuck is going on with that "turn right on a red light" thing in (certain states in) the US? It makes priorité à droit look sensible.
posted by holgate at 8:44 PM on June 27, 2001
posted by holgate at 8:44 PM on June 27, 2001
Here in LA there are intersections on insanely busy roads with no left turn signal. I've been here two years and for the life of me, I can't understand it. I have seen more accidents happen right in front of my eyes than ever before in my life. I don't know how no LA streets made the list.
posted by owillis at 8:45 PM on June 27, 2001
posted by owillis at 8:45 PM on June 27, 2001
I grew up less than a 1/4 mile from #9. In fact, that intersection is the location of my one and only car/bike collision. (I was on the bike). The funny thing is, before I remembered that, I was going to say that it's really not that bad. I still might...
Yeah, it's not that bad. I can certainly think of worse in San Francisco (4th and Mission?)
posted by fooljay at 10:21 PM on June 27, 2001
Yeah, it's not that bad. I can certainly think of worse in San Francisco (4th and Mission?)
posted by fooljay at 10:21 PM on June 27, 2001
not news to me but i live within about 7 miles of 4 on the list in Michigan, and cross most of them every week.
posted by tj at 10:37 PM on June 27, 2001
posted by tj at 10:37 PM on June 27, 2001
My folks live about a mile from the Fair Oaks/Howe intersection in Sacramento, CA, and I can guarantee you it's not the most dangerous intersection in Sacramento, let alone the entire state. What about Federal and Wilshire in LA?
posted by padjet1 at 11:31 PM on June 27, 2001
posted by padjet1 at 11:31 PM on June 27, 2001
What's interesting to me is that not only is State Farm making a publicity stunt out of this, but they're actually offering $100,000 grants to municipalities to fix the cited intersections. They've found that million-dollar reconstructions can reduce accidents, but so can a few simple fixes, from stoplights with backboards to removing visual obstructions.
holgate: Right turn on red is in practically all states, now. People should only use it when there's neither oncoming traffic nor pedestrians, of course, but since the mere existence of a red light seems to be no bar to sailing at speed through an intersection these days I'm a bit worried (no matter how risqué I think my yellow-light sins may be, I can always be assured of one or perhaps two people directly behind me). The book from the Republican side is that red-light enforcement is highway robbery perpetrated by the cities against its honest driving citizens, though, so I'm not optimistic that we can see a necessary tightening of enforcement.
There should be more roundabouts, though. They're growing in use but are still considered a special case. There are a lot of small "roundabout" intersection obstructions used in my town, though, and even though each one has four signs showing you how to go around it counter-clockwise, people still sneak direct left turns. Maybe I would if it were my block. But people even think they're entitled to do this when there's someone there trying to make a right. Sheesh. It's not that hard to go around.
Basically driving rights in the US are the opposite of property rights. You can't ever go on somebody's property unless you expect to get shot, but you can damn well drive wherever and however you please.
posted by dhartung at 11:32 PM on June 27, 2001
holgate: Right turn on red is in practically all states, now. People should only use it when there's neither oncoming traffic nor pedestrians, of course, but since the mere existence of a red light seems to be no bar to sailing at speed through an intersection these days I'm a bit worried (no matter how risqué I think my yellow-light sins may be, I can always be assured of one or perhaps two people directly behind me). The book from the Republican side is that red-light enforcement is highway robbery perpetrated by the cities against its honest driving citizens, though, so I'm not optimistic that we can see a necessary tightening of enforcement.
There should be more roundabouts, though. They're growing in use but are still considered a special case. There are a lot of small "roundabout" intersection obstructions used in my town, though, and even though each one has four signs showing you how to go around it counter-clockwise, people still sneak direct left turns. Maybe I would if it were my block. But people even think they're entitled to do this when there's someone there trying to make a right. Sheesh. It's not that hard to go around.
Basically driving rights in the US are the opposite of property rights. You can't ever go on somebody's property unless you expect to get shot, but you can damn well drive wherever and however you please.
posted by dhartung at 11:32 PM on June 27, 2001
I don't live near a dangerous intersection, but, like Paul and Mike, I often go through the most dangerous one in Illinois. Eek.
posted by Nikolai at 1:27 AM on June 28, 2001
posted by Nikolai at 1:27 AM on June 28, 2001
Oh, this is a good thread to ask: what the fuck is going on with that "turn right on a red light" thing in (certain states in) the US? It makes priorité à droit look sensible.
I think it's all US States by now (less NYC). Why is our version any more dangerous than the French version?
posted by ParisParamus at 5:11 AM on June 28, 2001
I think it's all US States by now (less NYC). Why is our version any more dangerous than the French version?
posted by ParisParamus at 5:11 AM on June 28, 2001
I love right turn on red (when used responsibly). There's nothing more frustrating than sitting at a long red light when you can plainly see absolutely nothing is coming down the other street for miles around. Then the folks behind you start honking.
Priorite a droit is ridiculous. When you get to an intersection without a traffic light, a car coming from the right, no matter what trifling little street they're driving down, has the right of way. And then on some roundabouts, the same thing. I think. Scary as hell because, on average, the French can't drive for s***, making it even harder to figure out what you're actually supposed to be doing.
(Don't worry, I take the metro).
posted by hazyjane at 5:24 AM on June 28, 2001
Priorite a droit is ridiculous. When you get to an intersection without a traffic light, a car coming from the right, no matter what trifling little street they're driving down, has the right of way. And then on some roundabouts, the same thing. I think. Scary as hell because, on average, the French can't drive for s***, making it even harder to figure out what you're actually supposed to be doing.
(Don't worry, I take the metro).
posted by hazyjane at 5:24 AM on June 28, 2001
That list is misleading. The most dangerous should be a ratio like accidents per 100,000 cars, not just total accidents. I would expect the Media to draw poor statistical conclusions, but not an insurance company.
posted by quirked at 5:53 AM on June 28, 2001
posted by quirked at 5:53 AM on June 28, 2001
Why is our version any more dangerous than the French version?
Well, I can recall a good half-dozen times when I've been crossing on a "Walk" signal in Hartford, and a car has swung round, at speed, towards me: the driver was too busy checking the oncoming traffic to the left, or obstructed by the traffic light and control box to the right.
In fact, when Herself was driving in Ireland last month, it took a quick "whatthefuckareyoudoing?" to stop her taking a left on red at a crossroads. Though she coped with roundabouts in her stride, after I talked her through the first couple: they're really much better at improving the flow of traffic, and you don't get the boy racer mentality of trying to beat other drivers away from the lights.
posted by holgate at 6:06 AM on June 28, 2001
Well, I can recall a good half-dozen times when I've been crossing on a "Walk" signal in Hartford, and a car has swung round, at speed, towards me: the driver was too busy checking the oncoming traffic to the left, or obstructed by the traffic light and control box to the right.
In fact, when Herself was driving in Ireland last month, it took a quick "whatthefuckareyoudoing?" to stop her taking a left on red at a crossroads. Though she coped with roundabouts in her stride, after I talked her through the first couple: they're really much better at improving the flow of traffic, and you don't get the boy racer mentality of trying to beat other drivers away from the lights.
posted by holgate at 6:06 AM on June 28, 2001
Well, Detroit seems to have us outdone in dangerous intersections, but there's one in Jenison where Chicago drive intersects with Kenowa/Baldwin, plus there's an off ramp from the interstate. So if you're driving along down Chicago Drive, you have to turn across two lanes of cars coming off the interstate if you want to turn right, and this is all in a very short space. God, I hate that interesection.
And any intersection with a delayed left may not be dangerous, but it's freakin annoying.
posted by dagnyscott at 6:20 AM on June 28, 2001
And any intersection with a delayed left may not be dangerous, but it's freakin annoying.
posted by dagnyscott at 6:20 AM on June 28, 2001
I can't believe they don't have any dangerous intersections listed for Massachusetts. Cripes, every intersection is a dangerous one in Boston. And don't tell me roundabouts are better, we had this discussion before.
posted by briank at 6:24 AM on June 28, 2001
posted by briank at 6:24 AM on June 28, 2001
New York: No listing.
Oy. Jersey and York are too cool for this.
posted by dequinix at 7:00 AM on June 28, 2001
Oy. Jersey and York are too cool for this.
posted by dequinix at 7:00 AM on June 28, 2001
two of the top ten for the country are in Tulsa, OK. i was involved in an accident at one of them just last Sunday. go Tulsa for sucking.
posted by tolkhan at 7:35 AM on June 28, 2001
posted by tolkhan at 7:35 AM on June 28, 2001
I live roughly halfway between the second and fourth most dangerous intersections in Washington. That doesn't bother me half as much as the fact that we've been having earthquakes for the last couple days. The epicenter for the one yesterday morning was under the neighborhood park. Who knew Spokane had earthquakes?
posted by faceonmars at 10:08 AM on June 28, 2001
posted by faceonmars at 10:08 AM on June 28, 2001
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