Dangerous driving: Why one stretch of I-10 has the most accidents
A three-mile stretch of the Interstate 10 freeway in the Phoenix area has recently been the scene of more accidents than any other location on Arizona’s highways. That’s not surprising to Professor Ram Pendyala, director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the seven Fulton Schools. Pendyala, who expertise includes transportation engineering, says the junction of three major freeways in the area makes this among the places with the heaviest traffic congestion in the state. The layered arrangement of the freeways at the junction, along with the multiple access ramps, heightens the complexities of driving at this “Mini-Stack” interchange, he says, adding that the combination of economics and limited space — plus a increasing number of drivers resulting from the Phoenix metro area’s growing population — are key factors in making the junction a high-risk driving location. But Pendyala says gathering more data about the traffic accidents could better determine the specific causes of the numerous mishaps and might reveal how to reduce them.