Bensalem Intersection Dubbed as “Most Unsafe US Intersection” with 144 Crashes in 10 Years!

Most unsafe US intersection is now believed to be located in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. It is at the intersection of Streets Road and Knights Road. It is now dubbed as the most unsafe US intersection, particularly because, in just a span of ten years, there have been seven fatal vehicular accidents. Moreover, in the one-mile section of Streets Road, which, of course, includes the said intersection point, there have already been 144 crashes with 170 individuals either instantly killed or critically injured.

TIME was the one that analyzed the data from 2002 to 2012 as they listed the top 12 most unsafe US intersections, basing on the number of crashes that have happened. The aforementioned Bensalem intersection was described by TIME as a "commercial corridor in Bucks County, fringed by a Subway sandwich shop and a gas station, not too far from Kohl's." This definition makes the intersection sound friendly, of course, minus the fact that it has had 144 accidents in just 10 years.

Moreover, according to TIME, the main reason why it has been the site of seven fatal crashes and is rendered the most unsafe US intersection is that it is "plagued by poor signage, dim lighting, discontinuous sidewalks, aggressive drivers and jaywalkers, according to a 2008 traffic audit."

Additionally, Joseph Fiocco, a traffic engineer, commented that the volume of regularly passing cars and pedestrians passing through the said intersection means that the odds of an impending crash became much higher. He specifically stated, "The more traffic that's crossing and the more pedestrians and bicycles there are, the more likely accidents are." He also mentioned that more than 36,000 vehicles pass through this most unsafe US intersection on a daily basis.

Dave Johnson, a transportation director, also stated that the Bensalem most unsafe US intersection was a "quirky" junction "because it's not a 90-degree intersection." Since the traffic audit was completed, there have been at least six more fatal crashes on this intersection.