Car Accident Lawyers, Knoxville, TN

Knoxville’s Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections

Tough representation when you have a car accident on unsafe roads and intersections

It helps to know what roads and intersections in Knoxville are dangerous so you can try to avoid those roads or use extra caution while you’re traveling through these locations. Knoxville does conduct studies to analyze which roads and intersections are the most dangerous. Still, there’s more that they can do. There’s certainly more that drivers on these roads can do to avoid accidents. At Banks & Jones, our Knoxville car accident lawyers file claims against all responsible parties including negligent drivers and state agencies when accidents cause injuries or fatalities.

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What makes certain roads more dangerous than other roads in Knoxville?

Every road in Knoxville has its share of accidents. Some roads, however, are prone to have more accidents, including fatal accidents, than others. Some of the factors that make roads especially dangerous are:

  • There’s a lot of traffic on the roads throughout the day, especially during rush hour
  • Roads that have high speed limits
  • Poor lighting or no lighting
  • Roads that are undergoing construction
  • Highways and interstates that have multiple lanes in each direction
  • Curved roads
  • Roads where there are a lot of trucks

When roads are dangerous, the defendants (in addition to drivers) may include the Tennessee Department of Transportation or other state agencies who may be liable for improper road design, failing to repair and maintain the road, and failing to warn drivers of known dangers.

Maintenance and repair crews may also be liable if they fail to minimize the risks of driving on dangerous roads.

Why are intersection accidents dangerous in Knoxville?

Many accidents happen near or in intersections because that’s where cars are crossing and turning. Many rear-end collisions happen while drivers are waiting to proceed through the intersections. Broadside accidents are common when one car is going straight and another car is turning. Many cars are crushed by truck drivers who make wide turns. Truck turns are dangerous because of the driver’s blind spots and because the length of the truck often requires that the driver move into other lanes to complete the move.

The type of intersection affects the level of danger. There are four-way intersections, 3-way (T-shaped intersections), merging and diverging intersections (Y-shaped intersections), and even circular (roundabout) intersections.

The risk of dangerous intersection accidents increases when there are just stop signs or when there are no traffic devices because drivers need to understand and obey the Tennessee right-of-way laws. Other design factors that make intersections dangerous are the use of turn lanes.

The more lanes of travel there are in each direction, the more dangerous an intersection can be – especially if drivers can turn from multiple lanes into multiple lanes.

According to Knox News, “Almost all fatal intersection crashes in Tennessee happened at three kinds of intersection.”

  • Four-way intersections: 55.1%, or 536 fatal crashes
  • T-intersections: 42.7%, or 415 fatal crashes
  • Y-intersections: 1.6%, or 16 fatal crashes

Intersections are also dangerous because that’s where most pedestrians and bicycle riders cross. Many drivers fail to stop before they enter the crosswalk, killing or seriously injuring these vulnerable road users.

What Knoxville roads and intersections are recognized for being dangerous?

According to WATE.com (6 ABC), in 2019, two of the top 10 intersections where drivers ran through red lights were in Tennessee. The ninth-worst intersection in the nation was at the intersection of westbound Chapman Highway (U.S. 441) at Stone Road, about two and a half miles south of the Tennessee River.

WATE also reported in 2023 that work would begin on one of Knox County’s most dangerous intersections – a roundabout in Powell. According to Knox County Senior Director of Engineering and Public Works Jim Snowden, the traditional intersection at Brickyard Road and West Beaver Creek is being converted from a traditional intersection to a roundabout intersection. Knox County decided to rebuild the intersection due to the high rate of crashes. Snowden said, “That location was actually one of the worst high crash rates in the county, it was in the top five…So, we were very concerned about that, you know you went out there and looked at it and you had good lines of sight, it was just a combination of speed and not enough gaps.” The roundabout will include pedestrian improvements as well.

According to 2020 data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) reported by WATE, some of the most dangerous roads in Tennessee that pass through Knoxville include:

  • I-40: This is the most dangerous road, in terms of accidents (70) and fatalities (80) that year.
  • I-75: this road came in 6th place, with nine crashes and nine fatalities.

According to Vision Zero Safer Streets for Knoxville, the fatality crash rate, per 100,000 drivers for Knoxville, Tennessee is 15.77. The analysis is for the years 2016-2021. This number amounts to one fatality on Knoxville’s roads every 37 hours.

The roads with the most injuries in Knoxville are:

  • Clinton Highway (US-25W) from Old Callahan Drive to Schaad Road
  • North Broadway from Old Broadway to Highland Drive
  • Chapman Highway (SR-71) from Nixon Road to Norton Road
  • Western Avenue from 17th Street to Interstate 40
  • East Magnolia Avenue from North Harrison Street to North Beaman Street

The roadways with the highest predicted crash index that have a high risk of injury crashes in the future are:

  • W 5th Avenue Intersection of N Broadway
  • Kingston Pike Walker Springs Road N Gallaher View Road
  • Rutledge Pike Intersection of Chilhowee Drive
  • Pleasant Ridge Road
  • Northwest I-640 underpass Wilson Road NW
  • Chapman Highway Intersection of Majestic Grove Boulevard
  • Kingston Pike Intersection of Gerald R Ford Street
  • Kingston Pike Kingston Court Lindsay Place SW
  • Rutledge Pike Burns Road I-640 underpass
  • N Broadway Intersection of Gresham Road
  • Middlebrook Pike Lonas Drive Ed Shouse Drive

Other streets known to be dangerous include Henley Street, Magnolia Avenue, Broadway, Western Avenue, Chapman Avenue, Clinton Highway, Alcoa Highway, Asheville Highway, Rutledge Pirke, and S. Illinois Avenue.

According to a 10 Investigates report, some of the places in Knoxville that are dangerous for pedestrians include:

  • Cumberland Avenue and 17th Street near Melrose
  • Cumberland and 19th Street
  • North Broadway and Highland Drive
  • Broadway and 5th Avenue
  • Broadway and the I-40 Overpass

According to the report, a pedestrian who is struck at 20 mph has a 90% chance of survival, while a pedestrian who is struck at 40 mph has a 90% chance of being killed.

About 100 people in Knoxville are hit by cars every year and a handful die.

Do you have a Knoxville car accident lawyer near me?

At Banks & Jones, our Knoxville car accident lawyers meet clients at our Knoxville office located at 2125 Middlebrook Pike. If a driver, passenger, pedestrian, or bicycle rider is not physically able to come to our office, we do make alternative arrangements. We also conduct conversations by phone and through video.

We’re ready to Fight 2 Win all the financial and personal compensation you deserve.

Get help now. Talk with an accomplished Knoxville car accident attorney today

Dangerous roads and dangerous intersections cause serious, permanent, and catastrophic injuries. Many accidents on dangerous roads are deadly. At Banks & Jones, we file car accident claims against all responsible defendants, including those responsible for the design, repair, and maintenance of dangerous roads. We demand compensation for all your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and property damage. Please call us or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation.

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