This NYC Highway Is Among Nation's Most Dangerous, Study Says

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Crossing through Washington Heights and the Bronx on I-95 can be one of the most dangerous routes for drivers in the country, a new study found.

Three New York spots on the highway — all near where drivers get ready to cross a bridge — landed in the top 10 least safe places for drivers in 2019, according to the study by nonprofit Go Safe Labs.

Each of the "hotspots" more than 100 crashes last year, which researchers said was unsurprising given that like many spots on the list, they are some of the most traveled in the country.

"...There are areas of high absolute traffic volume [for example], three of the top 10 occur along the I-95 crossing from New Jersey, across Upper Manhattan and into the Bronx," researchers said. "Similarly, high traffic areas in Minneapolis, Portland, and Miami appear."

The three hotspots in New York around found on both sides of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge, which crosses from Washington Heights to the Bronx, and where I-95 crosses with Riverside Drive on the other side of Washington Heights where drivers get ready to go on the George Washington Bridge.

The Washington Heights side of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge, where the highway crosses with Harlem River Drive, was the most dangerous of the three spots, researchers said.

There were 208 crashes at that point in 2019, the second most of any spot in the country.

Not far behind was the Bronx side of the bridge, where the highway crosses with Sedgwick Avenue. That spot saw 142 crashes last year, making it the fifth most dangerous place on the list.

The George Washington Bridge and Riverside Drive crossing had 132 crashes last year, landing it seventh on the list.

Go Safe Labs reviewed more than 1.8 million accident reports from 2018 to 2019 for the study, which is the second ranking of its kind the organization has done.

Overall, the number of crashes were up 6.8 percent between 2018 and 2019, though some specific cities saw a decrease in crashes.

Despite its high-ranking spots in the top 10 list, New York City didn't make a list of the 10 cities with the most crashes in 2019. In that ranking, Houston took the number one spot.

Researchers said they hope the data can help raise awareness to make roads safer in the New Year.

“We were surprised by all the enthusiasm for our last report," said Kevin Pomplun, Chairman of Go Safe Labs. "And now we hope these new findings on 2019, make some small impact on 2020 being the best year yet for all of us driving on U.S. roads.”