Vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities occur on all types of roads in all types of conditions every day of the year. The sad fact is that approximately 100 people die every day in the U.S. and about three are killed daily in New York state because of traffic crashes. A significant percentage of traffic fatalities occur at intersections.

A new study that investigated the most dangerous types of intersections in New York revealed that Four-Way Intersections are the leading type of crossroad for fatal motor-vehicle crashes. The study was conducted by personal injury law firm Injured In Florida, which gathered and analyzed crash data across various intersection types in New York. The data were taken from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on fatal crashes that occurred at an intersection between 2017 and 2021.

Four-way intersections top the list as New York’s most common intersection for deadly collisions, with 61.2% of all recorded intersection fatal crashes occurring at this type of crossroad. The analysis found that out of the total 1,642 fatal crashes examined, 1,005 were at four-way intersections, higher than any other category. T-intersections were identified as the second most common site for fatal crashes, with 565 incidents making up 34.4% of the total. Y-intersections were the third most common among the studied intersection types, accounting for 55 fatal crashes or 3.4%.

At the national level, four-way intersections are also the most common type for fatal motor vehicle crashes, with 27,335 such incidents comprising 61.8% of the total of 44,219 crashes that were related to an intersection.

T-intersections follow, accounting for 14,778 crossroads crashes or 33.4%. Y-intersections saw 1,079 fatal crashes, making up 2.4%. There were 200 fatal crashes at intersections with five points or more (0.45%), and 127 at a roundabout (0.29%).

A spokesperson for the law firm that did the study commented: “The study found that out of the 4,785 fatal crashes that occurred in New York over the five-year period, 1,642 happened at some type of intersection, which is 34.3%. This data is always a reminder to all road users of the importance of driving carefully, but especially when approaching any type of crossroads or intersection.”