¿Cuáles son las carreteras más peligrosas de Phoenix y Mesa?

Five Years of Federal Crash Records, Mapped Street by Street

Ask anyone who drives the Valley every day which road scares them and you will get a quick answer: the I-10 at night, the 101 at rush hour, a certain left turn on the way to work.

Most published lists of dangerous intersections in Phoenix repeat one regional ranking built on 2018 to 2022 crash data. Those lists rarely mention Mesa, and almost none look at freeways mile by mile.

So we went to the federal record. We pulled every fatal crash in Maricopa County from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for 2020 through 2024, placed each one on the Valley’s one-mile street grid, and counted.

One result stood out. The four miles of I-10 between 75th Avenue and 43rd Avenue in west Phoenix had 15 fatal crashes over those five years, the most we found on any stretch of Valley freeway. (NHTSA FARS, 2020 to 2024 records)

The pattern is different from the usual top ten list. In Phoenix and Mesa, people die along corridors more than at single corners, and most of them die after dark.

Our two clinics sit right in the middle of this map, one on West Thomas Road in Phoenix and one on South Country Club Drive in Mesa, so these are the roads our patients drive.

If you were just hurt on one of them, our guide to medical care after a car accident in Phoenix covers what to do in the first days.

How Many People Are Hurt in Phoenix and Mesa Crashes Each Year?

Crashes at a glance

• Phoenix, 2024: 37,472 crashes, 278 killed, 15,057 injured
• Mesa, 2024: 8,022 crashes, 48 killed, 3,531 injured
• Maricopa County, 2024: 88,094 crashes, 594 killed
• Arizona, 2025: 118,052 crashes statewide

Source: ADOT 2024 Crash Facts; ADOT, 2025 traffic deaths release

Deaths drive the headlines, but injuries are what most families deal with. For every person killed on a Phoenix road in 2024, more than fifty were hurt.

Many of those injuries do not show up at the scene. Neck strain from a rear end collision can take a day or two to appear, which is why our guide to whiplash symptoms is worth reading even if you feel fine.

ADOT’s newest city tables cover 2024. The state has released 2025 totals, 118,052 crashes statewide, but the city breakdown for 2025 is not out yet.

Back pain is another injury that often appears late, and our page on delayed lower back pain after a car accident explains why.

Which Valley Freeway Stretch Has the Most Fatal Crashes? I-10 in West Phoenix, With 15

Source: NHTSA FARS, 2020 to 2024 records

The west Phoenix stretch of I-10 runs through Maryvale past the 67th Avenue, 59th Avenue and 51st Avenue interchanges. It carries heavy commuter and truck traffic, and nearly every fatal crash there happened at night.

Our Phoenix clinic at 43rd Avenue and Thomas Road sits a little more than a mile north of the east end of this stretch.

Central Phoenix comes next, on the I-10 from 27th Avenue through the Deck Park Tunnel to 16th Street, with 13 fatal crashes. The Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway through Tempe, from Priest Drive to Price Road, matches it.

In the East Valley, the US 60 Superstition Freeway between Dobson Road and Stapley Drive is Mesa’s worst freeway stretch, with 9. These stretches are not all the same length, so read them as places to take extra care rather than a strict ranking.

If a freeway crash leaves you unsure where to go first, our comparison of the emergency room and urgent care can help you decide.

Which Phoenix Street Has the Most Fatal Crashes? Thomas Road, With 82

Phoenix streets with the most fatal crashes, 2020 to 2024

• Thomas Rd: 82 fatal crashes, 86 people killed
• Indian School Rd: 62 fatal crashes
• 19th Ave: 59 fatal crashes
• 35th Ave: 54 fatal crashes
• McDowell Rd: 50 fatal crashes

A crash at an intersection counts for both streets. Source: NHTSA FARS, 2020 to 2024 records

Thomas Road west of the I-17 is a wide arterial with heavy traffic, frequent bus stops and busy shopping centers. That mix shows in the data.

On the stretch from 99th Avenue to 35th Avenue, 21 of the 47 fatal crashes involved someone on foot, and 38 happened after dark. The intersections at 71st Avenue and 83rd Avenue each recorded 4 fatal crashes, tied for the most of any Phoenix intersection.

This is our own street. The Accident Doctors’ Phoenix office is at 4338 W Thomas Rd, #117, inside this corridor, so many of the crashes in this data happened within a few miles of our front door.

If you need to be seen today, our urgent care in Phoenix page lists hours and what to bring. Head injuries are easy to miss after a side impact, so read our guide to spotting the symptoms of a concussion even if you feel fine.

Which Phoenix Intersections Are the Most Dangerous? The Lists Disagree

Three ways to rank Phoenix intersections

• Federal fatal crash records, both cross streets named (2020 to 2024): 35th Ave and Thunderbird Rd, Cave Creek Rd and Greenway Rd, 71st Ave and Thomas Rd, and 83rd Ave and Thomas Rd, with 4 fatal crashes each. (NHTSA FARS, 2020 to 2024 records)
• ABC15 Operation Safe Roads (fatal crashes, 2019 to 2024): Thunderbird Rd and Cave Creek Rd, with 8. (ABC15 Operation Safe Roads)
• MAG crash risk ranking (all crashes, weighted by severity, 2018 to 2022): 67th Ave and McDowell Rd ranked first. (MAG ranking, reported by ABC15)

Three different methods give three different answers, and each one is useful for something. The MAG ranking counts every reported crash from 2018 to 2022 and weighs how severe they were, so it favors busy west Valley corners like 67th Avenue and McDowell Road.

ABC15 looked only at deadly crashes from 2019 to 2024. Our count is the strictest, because a fatal crash only counts for an intersection if the police report names both streets.

Under the strict method, the most any single Phoenix intersection saw in five years was four fatal crashes. That small number is the point.

Deaths in Phoenix are spread along whole corridors, so fixing one famous corner will not solve the problem on its own. In 2022, Phoenix approved $10 million a year for its Road Safety Action Plan. (KJZZ; City of Phoenix Road Safety)

If you are in a crash at any of these intersections, our guide to documenting a car accident claim in Arizona lists the photos and records to collect before you leave the scene.

Where Are Mesa’s Most Dangerous Roads? No Intersection Tops 2 Fatal Crashes

Mesa roads with the most fatal crashes, 2020 to 2024

• US 60 inside Mesa: 25 fatal crashes
• Main St: 21 fatal crashes
• University Dr: 20 fatal crashes
• Broadway Rd: 18 fatal crashes
• Country Club Dr south of Loop 202: 13 fatal crashes

Source: NHTSA FARS, 2020 to 2024 records

Mesa’s own count is lower than the federal one, because the two use different rules for what counts as a Mesa crash. For 2024, the city counted 34 deaths and ADOT counted 48, and the federal records used here include freeway crashes inside city limits, such as the 25 on the US 60. (City of Mesa crash presentation, July 2025; ADOT 2024 Crash Facts)

Mesa’s own traffic staff reached the same conclusion from a different direction. The city’s safety plan found that a High Risk Network of only 37 miles of roadway carries 39% of its fatal and serious injury crashes. (NACTO, Mesa Safety Action Plan)

The city also reports that more than 90% of serious injury crashes in 2024 happened on arterial streets rather than neighborhood roads. (City of Mesa crash presentation, July 2025)

Motorcycles stand out too. Riders were 46% of the people killed on Mesa streets in 2024 (16 of 34), and 41% of motorcyclist fatal crashes from 2014 to 2024 were left turn crashes. (City of Mesa crash presentation, July 2025)

Mesa’s deaths dropped from 45 in 2023 to 34 in 2024. The city then recorded 21 in just the first six months of 2025. (City of Mesa crash presentation, July 2025)

Main Street’s total reflects the downtown and light rail corridor, where people on foot and on bikes share the road with through traffic.

Our Mesa clinic at 1155 S Country Club Dr, on the northeast corner of Country Club and Southern, sits on another busy corridor. Country Club Drive south of the Loop 202 had 13 fatal crashes over the same five years.

If you were hurt in an East Valley crash and are worried about the bills, our programa de atención médica de accidentes sin costo explains how care works with no money out of pocket. For what to expect week by week, see our car accident healing timeline.

When Do Fatal Crashes Happen in Phoenix and Mesa? 61% After Dark

Statewide picture

• Arizona traffic deaths, 2025: 1,156, down 5.2% from 2024
• Where they happened: 709 on local roads, 447 on state highways
• Speeding a factor: 31.8% of deaths
• Alcohol impairment a factor: 334 deaths
• Motorcyclists killed: 194
• Valley pedestrians killed, 2024: 146 (ABC15 Operation Safe Roads)

Source: ADOT, 2025 traffic deaths release

Statewide, ADOT counted 1,156 traffic deaths in 2025, the third yearly drop in a row. More of them happened on local roads (709) than on state highways (447).

Speed, impairment and darkness show up again and again. Speeding was a factor in 31.8% of deaths, and alcohol impairment in 334 deaths.

Driving the Valley’s worst stretches in daylight when you can, slowing down on wide arterials like Thomas Road, and watching for people crossing mid block after sunset will do more than avoiding any single corner.

Our tips on Conducción defensiva go into more detail.

Hurt in a crash on one of these roads?

Get checked even if you feel fine. The Accident Doctors treat car and work accident patients at our Phoenix and Mesa clinics with no out-of-pocket cost, and we are paid when your claim settles.

If you have not hired a lawyer yet, come see us first. We can refer you to accident attorneys we work with.

Our page on whether you need a lawyer after a car accident in Phoenix covers that decision. You can call or text us at (602) 632-0000.

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