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Illinois has the fifth most car crash deaths due to poor road design, research reveals
A new study released Monday, January 22, 2024 identified Illinois as having the fifth most car crash deaths in the nation based on poor road design. The study was released by Dismuke Law.
The study shows Arkansas has highest percentage of fatal crashes caused by poor road design, followed by Alaska in second, and North Dakota in third.
Study finds more than 100 fatal accidents in America every year where inadequate road design is a related factor
Arkansas is the worst state for poor road design, new research has found.
The study by Dismuke Law analyzed the latest National Highway Travel Safety Administration (NHTSA) data on fatal crashes where poor road design, such as inadequate warning of exits, obscured pavement marking and inadequate construction, was recorded as a contributing factor to the accident.
Arkansas tops the list as between 2017 and 2021, there were 101 fatal crashes where poor road design was a contributing factor, out of 2,664 fatal crashes in total. As a result, 3.79% of deadly collisions in the state involved difficulties with road design. The state’s worst year for incidents in the category was 202, when 30 out of 598 fatal crashes could be attributed to poor road design.
Poor road design was a factor in 2.52% of fatal crashes in Alaska, making it the second highest ranked state in the list. Given its small population, Alaska had the lowest overall number of fatal crashes in the time period measured, at 318, and eight of those were recorded as being influenced by poor road design.
North Dakota placed third in the list, with 1.06% of fatal crashes involving inadequate road design – five fatal crashes out of 473 in total. The ratio is more than double the national average, which stands at 0.38%.
In Wisconsin there were 28 crashes where road design was a related factor between 2017 and 2021, which is 1.02% of the 2,746 fatal crashes in total. The state’s worst year for crashes in the category was 2019, when 12 such accidents occurred.
Illinois is in fifth place as 50 of its 5,183 fatal crashes over the five year period were related to sub-standard road design, which equates to a percentage of 0.96%.
The list of top ten states where poor road design has led to fatal crashes is completed by Wyoming in sixth, Maine in seventh, Kentucky in eighth, Minnesota in ninth, and Tennessee in tenth.
Commenting on the study, David Dismuke, Attorney at Dismuke Law said: “The study found that nationally there were 672 fatal crashes where poor road design was a related factor, with the highest number coming in 2020, when 167 accidents were recorded in the category. This data is a reminder of the dangers that people face when on the road, and it’s not just other road users that we need to be aware of, but also the conditions of the road itself.”
| Rank | State | Total fatal crashes involving poor road design | Total fatal crashes | Percentage of fatal crashes involving poor road design |
| 1 | Arkansas | 101 | 2,664 | 3.79% |
| 2 | Alaska | 8 | 318 | 2.52% |
| 3 | North Dakota | 5 | 473 | 1.06% |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 28 | 2,746 | 1.02% |
| 5 | Illinois | 50 | 5,183 | 0.96% |
| 6 | Wyoming | 5 | 541 | 0.92% |
| 7 | Maine | 6 | 719 | 0.83% |
| 8 | Kentucky | 25 | 3,495 | 0.72% |
| 9 | Minnesota | 13 | 1,843 | 0.71% |
| 10 | Tennessee | 36 | 5,304 | 0.68% |
Methodology
All data taken from National Highway Travel Safety Administration (NHTSA)
The study analyzed the number of fatal crashes involving the following related factors in each state from 2017 to 2021: Inadequate Warning of Exits, Lanes Narrowing, Traffic Controls, etc. ; or Shoulder Design or Condition ; or Other Maintenance or Construction-Created Condition ; or No or Obscured Pavement Marking ; or Inadequate Construction or Poor Design of Roadway,Bridge, etc. ; or Surface Washed Out(caved-in, road slippage).
The number of crashes fitting the category defined above was then compared against the total number of fatal crashes in each state over the same period, to provide the final percentage of fatal crashes each state caused by poor road design.
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