DETROIT – The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) released a list of the most dangerous intersections in the metro area this week.
At the top of the list is Ford Rd. and Haggerty in Canton, near Ikea, where 83 accidents took place in 2013.
Most are rear-end or T-bone crashes, suggesting distracted or impatient driving is to blame.
"It's the guy trying to make that left turn at the last minute," says SEMCOG's Carmine Palumbo. "The one looking down at the cellphone, or back at the kids, and taking their eyes off the road."
Another intersection, at 11 Mile and Van Dyke, made SEMCOG's list twice. It's ranked at seven for Van Dyke traffic and 12th for 11 Mile Road traffic.
The Enterprise Rental outlet there has a ringside seat to about two accidents a week.
"You hear them before you see them--the squealing tires, the crash of metal," says Sam Johnson. "We tell customers not to cross the street on foot because it's like a game of Frogger."
Several roads also make the list multiple times. Twelve Mile Road is part of three intersections on the list—12 Mile and Orchard Lake is ranked third, 12 Mile and Telegraph is number nine, and 12 Mile and Dequindre is tied for fourth place.
Fifteen Mile makes the list twice, at Orchard Lake, ranked eighth, and Ryan Rd., ranked tenth.
For young drivers, aged 16 to 24, the most dangerous intersection is Garfield and 19 Mile. Young drives also account for nearly half the accidents at Highland Rd. and Airport in Waterford.
And nowhere are you more likely to encounter a drunk driver than at Cass Avenue and Groesbeck in Mt. Clemens. The rate of alcohol-related crashes at that crossroad is two-and-a-half times higher than the average intersection on SEMCOG's list.
If you want to take a closer look at this information and find out if a dangerous intersection is in your neighborhood or your daily commute, be sure to check out SEMCOG's full report.
Dangerous intersection map