Special Report: Dangerous Intersections

Did you know you are twice as likely to die from an automobile accident than to be shot and killed in Columbia or Jefferson City?

ABC 17’s Marissa Hollowed poured through data on every single vehicle crash that has happened in Columbia and Jefferson City in the last 3 years. Of the more than 11,000 of crashes, we found 57 were fatal and in more than 3,000 someone was injured.

ABC 17 News has discovered the locations in Columbia and Jefferson City, you are most likely to be involved in a car wreck.

The top intersections you are most likely to get in a crash in Columbia include:

The top intersections you are most likely to get in a crash in Jefferson City include:

One Columbia road in particular really jumped out to ABC 17 News when combing through the data. On Route B. there have been more than 100 injury crashes and 6 deaths in the last three years. The number of cars traveling the road is anywhere from 10,000- 15,000 per day. The only other road with 6 deaths is I-70 that carries in some parts, more than 66,000 cars a day according to the latest traffic volume information from MoDOT. Three of the fatalities on Route B are at the intersection with Waco Road.

“With 3 fatalities in that area, in such a small area, something obviously is going into play there,” says Jay MacLellan from Shelter Insurance.

The speed limit on Route B. is 55 MPH. I-70 is anywhere from 60 – 75 MPH.

“When there’s higher speeds involved, it’s just pure physics, the higher potential for damage is greater,” says MU civil engineering professor Carlos Sun.

Some drivers that use the road tell ABC 17 News drivers seem to be impatient and try to cross 4 lanes of traffic on Route B. too quickly from Waco Rd. where there is a large curve.

“I work north on Route B at 3-M and people need to look both ways and be more careful,” says a driver.

What day of the week are you most likely to get in a car crash in mid-Missouri? Of the crashes in the last 3 years in Columbia and Jefferson City we found:

Monday: 1,633 crashes took place

Tuesday: 1,601 crashes took place

Wednesday: 1,643 crashes took place

Thursday: 1,788 crashes took place

Friday: 2,020 crashes took place

Saturday: 1,374 crashes took place

Sunday: 1,108 crashes took place

ABC 17 News has discovered 123 crashes involved pedestrians, 586 involved a parked car, 2,457 involved a fixed object, and 377 were the result of hitting an animal on a roadway. The most common way for a crash to happen though is while both vehicles are moving.

ABC 17 News rode along with Sgt. Douglas Ruediger of the Jefferson City Police Department for more insight on why crashes are happening in the top locations. He says failure to yield, following too close, improper lane usage and inattention are the top reasons for wrecks in Jefferson City.

In no more than 10 minutes of driving with Jefferson City Police on a Friday afternoon, we witnessed a crash between a GMC truck and Ford Escape on Missouri Boulevard. A passenger was put onto a stretcher and 4 people sought medical attention after the crash. JCPD says this happens far too often on Missouri Boulevard.

“The traffic on this inside lane can’t see them coming and they come right out. It happens all the time,” said Sgt. Ruediger.

“Missouri Blvd. is a major thoroughfare and a major traffic generator. There’s many businesses with many driveways,” says Sun. As you can see from the data above that ABC 17 collected, Missouri Boulevard is included in almost half of the highest crash intersections.

According to MoDOT’s most recent traffic volume maps, more than 20,000 people drive on Missouri Boulevard everyday. Sun says there is an obvious correlation between the number of drivers and the number of crashes.

“In terms of safety we look at all of the contributing circumstances that might lead to crashes. It may be a matter of engineering design. Engineering could be a factor in a crash, but most often the number one contributing circumstance, in fact, 93% of crashes in Missourah is because of some sort of driver factor,” said Sun.

In Columbia, the road with a similar problem to Missouri Boulevard is Stadium Boulevard. More than 30,000 people travel parts of the road each day. There are a number of traffic generators nearby.

“The University of Missouri is the… largest employer, therefore they generate the most traffic… 30,000 students, faculty and staff,” said Sun.

30,000 people is almost a quarter of the City of Columbia’s population.

“Everyday there is significant commuting related to the university and it could happen by different modes. All along Stadium is many traffic jam radars, there’s the VA Hospital, University Hospital, Orthopedics, many medical related traffic generation, we have the stadium, Faurot…” said Sun.

Stadium Boulevard is included in half of the highest crash intersections in Columbia.

College Avenue also pops up on the list of highest crashes. It’s an area with a large amount of pedestrian traffic.

“An increase in pedestrians… there is obviously a correlation between that and the number of crashes,” says Sun. In an attempt to deal with pedestrians, the city has put in a new hawk system cross walk to prevent students on foot from darting across traffic to campus.

Both Columbia and Jefferson City have seen significant population increases.

“The infrastructure is growing, probably not fast enough, so by putting in roundabouts by putting in the diverging diamond is certainly a good way to try to reduce the number of accidents,” says MacLellan. That is what Columbia has done. The city in adding more roundabouts and other traffic management systems.

Jefferson City and Columbia, along with the state, are trying to adapt despite a waning highway budget. In Jefferson City, the Lafayette Street Interchange and Missouri River Bridge are being reconstructed to accommodate traffic.

“The median cable barrier is one systematic safety improvement that the state has implemented… rumble strips,” says Sun.

Crashes aren’t only dangerous, but they are expensive. According to data from the Missouri Highway Patrol Statistical Analysis Center the average economic loss per crash in our state is more than $22,000.

“You have the increased severity, you have the t-bone accident, the higher speeds, that’s when you really drive up the cost in the crashes,” says MacLellan.