The Most Dangerous Intersections in Phoenix (Ranked by Crash Data)

The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) ranks the Phoenix metro’s most dangerous intersections using five years of Arizona Department of Transportation crash data. We pulled the official 2018–2022 ranking straight from the source — and found that the intersection with the most crashes is not the one MAG rates most dangerous. Here’s what the data actually shows.

Source: MAG “Top 100 Intersections Ranked by Crash Risk,” 2018–2022 crash data. Latest ranking published by MAG.

The 10 most dangerous intersections in the Phoenix area

Ranked by MAG’s weighted crash-risk score (2018–2022). “Crashes” is the five-year total; the severity bar shows MAG’s crash-severity score (higher = more serious injuries per crash).

Every one of MAG’s top 10 highest-risk intersections is inside the City of Phoenix, and most are in the West Valley — along 67th, 51st, 43rd, and 99th Avenues.

The deadliest corridors, not just intersections

Look across all 100 ranked intersections and the same street names keep appearing. These West and Central Phoenix arterials carry high-speed, multi-lane traffic through dense commercial and residential zones — the recipe for left-turn and red-light T-bone crashes.

Why intersections are so dangerous in Arizona

Nationally, more than half of all serious-injury and fatal crashes happen at or near intersections. Two Arizona-specific factors make it worse:

• Red-light running. Arizona has the 4th-highest share of deadly red-light-running crashes in the nation — nearly 20% of the state’s fatal crashes involve someone running a red (NHTSA). These almost always produce violent side-impact “T-bone” collisions.
• Wide, high-speed arterials. Phoenix’s grid of six- and eight-lane surface streets moves traffic fast but creates long crossing distances and many conflict points — especially on unprotected left turns, which account for the majority of intersection crashes.

What to do if you’re hurt in an intersection crash

Intersection collisions are among the hardest cases to prove, because fault is often disputed — each driver claims they had the green, and insurers exploit the ambiguity. Under Arizona’s pure comparative negligence rule (A.R.S. § 12-2505), even a share of the blame reduces your recovery, so how fault gets assigned directly affects what you collect.

• Call 911 and get an official police report — it’s critical evidence at a disputed intersection.
• Photograph the signals, lane positions, and both vehicles before anything moves.
• Get names and numbers of witnesses — independent accounts often decide who ran the light.
• See a doctor within 24 hours, even if you feel fine; adrenaline masks injuries.
• Don’t give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer before speaking with a lawyer.

If you were injured at one of these intersections — or anywhere in the Valley — an experienced Phoenix car accident lawyer can pull the ADOT crash data, traffic-camera footage, and signal-timing records that establish who was actually at fault.

About this report. Compiled by Elmm Law Group, an Arizona personal injury law firm, from the Maricopa Association of Governments’ official “Top 100 Intersections Ranked by Crash Risk” (2018–2022 ADOT crash data) and NHTSA red-light-running data. Crash-risk rankings reflect MAG’s weighted Intersection Safety Score (50% severity, 25% frequency, 25% crash type). These figures may be freely cited or embedded with attribution and a link to this page.