Driving a car is something that many of us do every single day. We do it so much, in fact, that sometimes it can be easy to forget how potentially dangerous operating a vehicle can be.
Whether its weather, road conditions or other drivers, there are a lot of factors that can cause mistakes — mistakes that can be costly when moving at 40, 50, or 60+ mph.
Those living in the Wilmington area may have already developed their own opinions about where the most dangerous stretches of road are. But what does the data say?
Car insurance provider iSelect analyzed the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a federal database of fatal motor vehicle crashes, to determine what were the dangerous roads in the state of North Carolina and in Wilmington.
The database includes 7,286 fatal crashes in North Carolina between 2019 and 2023, including 59 in Wilmington in that same period. Here’s what the numbers say.
What is the most dangerous road in Wilmington?
Market Street recorded six fatal crashes between 2019 and 2023, the most out of any road. Notably, this combines the U.S. 17 and U.S. 17 Business sections of Market Street. This road runs a considerable distance from downtown Wilmington all the way into Ogden, meaning far more cars are travelling on it. The increased sample size could be why more crashes were recorded.
Next, Shipyard Boulevard had four fatal crashes occur in that period, while Carolina Beach Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway each had three.
These are some of Wilmington’s largest and busiest roads, so it makes sense why more crashes may occur. Driving on these roads can mean more traffic and higher speeds than smaller roads, creating more dangerous conditions for a crash.
Finally, Covil Avenue, Greenville Loop Road, Independence Boulevard, Wrightsville Avenue, and South College Road had two fatal crashes each.
The most dangerous roads in North Carolina
An interstate and several major highways running through the Wilmington area were among the 10 most dangerous roads in the state.
I-40 topped the list with 140 fatal crashes across North Carolina. Three U.S. highways that run through Wilmington were also on the list: U.S. 421, U.S. 74 and U.S. 17.
According to the analysis, U.S. highways account for the most fatal crashes in the state, at 38% of all fatal crashes. State highways account for 37%, while interstates were at 16%. Local roads accounted for 8%.
Charlie Kingree is the trending topics and Pender County reporter for the Wilmington StarNews. He can be reached at ckingree@usatodayco.com.
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.