A new report ranked Interstate 17 in Arizona as the fourth largest of the 25 deadliest highways in the United States since 2015. PHOENIX (3TV / CBS 5) – A new report from Teletrac Navman has Interstate 17 in Arizona, which extends from Phoenix to Flagstaff, as the fourth deadliest freeway in the country. As of 2015, I-17 ranks fourth among the 25 deadliest highways in the United States, according to the agency. The new report focuses on the 4-year period between 2016 and 2019, breaking down how many people were killed and the most common types of highway accidents. The report says 103 people were killed on I-17 during that period. The freeway is 146 miles long, meaning 0.707 people were killed per mile. The deadliest city along the freeway is Phoenix, with 39 dead, which is no surprise given that it is the most populous city on I-17. According to the report, the most common types of accidents are rollovers, pedestrian accidents and accidents with moving vehicles. The analysis also gives the deadliest time on I-17. Most of the accidents occurred in January, the deadliest day of the month being the 5th and the deadliest day of the week being Friday. Most of these accidents occurred between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Drivers like Steven Kenney and Roman Thurman know the I-17 route well. “I drive them every day as a contractor,” said Kenney. “… it’s a driver’s glove. Everything is speed. Everyone has their place, and nobody wants to wait for others’ time.” “It gets pretty crazy sometimes,” said Thurman. Alberto Gutier, director of The Highway Safety Governor’s Office, looked at the newer numbers for all federal highways. “In 2020, the Arizona death toll rose by 104 more deaths that we know of so far,” Gutier said. “Over 1,000 dead, making it one of the worst since 2003.” Gutier believes many factors are contributing to the increase, including population growth, more drivers, speeding, and distracted driving. He believes it will help send more officers to the streets, and this year GOHS has given law enforcement agencies more than $ 5 million to help make it happen. Kenney believes this is a solution that could work. “The more cops there are out there, the more likely it is that people will slow down,” said Kenney. According to an AAA report last year, there was a trend of fatal accidents on the wrong route across the state, Spokesman Aldo Vazquez. “That’s a 66% increase from the 2010-2014 average, when we had an average of nine deaths a year.” Copyright 2021 KPHO / KTVK (KPHO Rundfunkgesellschaft). All rights reserved.
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