Where are the most dangerous intersections in Austin?
One Austin police officer recently found out just how dangerous some crossroads in Austin can be. In late August, the officer was riding a motorcycle at the intersection of West Parmer Lane and North Lamar Boulevard. At nearly 10am, the officer was involved in a motorcycle accident with an SUV. The officer was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
That intersection is known as one of the most dangerous in Austin. It has been the subject of several improvements, including a right-turn island, high-visibility crosswalks, a new traffic signal and a pedestrian-hybrid beacon in hopes of reducing the rate of injuries and deaths that occur there.
According to the city, most crashes at this intersection occur when vehicles fail to reduce speed.
Austin’s Most Dangerous Intersections
West Parmer and Lamar just one of many of the city’s several intersections known for high accident rates. A few miles south of that intersection lies another of the city’s most dangerous, at North Lamar and Rundberg Lane. That intersection was second on a list of five high-priority intersections for which $3 million was pledged last year for improvements.
As of 2015, these intersections were ranked most dangerous based on number of crashes and severity:
- West Slaughter Lane and Manchaca Road (South Austin)
- Lamar Boulevard and Rundberg Lane (North Austin)
- Lamar Boulevard and Parmer Lane (North Austin)
- S. 183 Service Road and Cameron Road (Northeast Austin)
- I-35 Southbound Service Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (near Downtown)
The United States Department of Transportation estimates that just under half of all motor vehicle accidents occur at intersections or are intersection-related. There are several types of accidents that occur at intersections with dozens of different potential causes. If you are injured as a pedestrian, bicyclist or driver at one of Austin’s dangerous intersections, discuss your case with a personal injury attorney.
