By the stats: Petersburg's five most dangerous roads and intersections
PETERSBURG - It's likely that you've experienced a car accident in some form throughout your life, either as a passenger or as the driver.
The car insurance industry estimates that people submit claims for collisions about once every 18 years. That means the average driver has several accidents — either a fender bender or possibly a full on collision — during their lifetime.
But where are vehicle accidents happening most often in Petersburg? The Progress-Index examined traffic data from the Virginia Department of Transportation to find where you are most likely to collide with another car on the road.
VDOT uses clusters to identify high-risk crash corridors while screening out less significant collision patterns in the local area. Here's a breakdown of the most dangerous VDOT crash clusters between 2016 and 2020.
Data at a glance
Cluster analysis showed that Petersburg drivers are most likely to get into an accident on streets within the city, rather than on I-95 or I-85. Of the most significant crash corridors, 443 accidents occurred on local roads, compared to 248 accidents on the highways.
Drivers were 20% more likely to be injured in an accident on city roads. Almost 60% of accidents in these high-risk areas resulted in injuries, while 40% of high-risk area highway accidents resulted in injuries.
Of the 17 fatalities that happened during the five-year period, nine were on city roads, and eight were on interstate highways. Only one of those deaths occurred within the most severe high-risk traffic clusters. The other 16 fatalities were in areas without many accidents — like neighborhood streets — or a less statistically dangerous traffic cluster.
These roads and intersections have been the most dangerous over the past five years:
E. Washington Street in downtown Petersburg
This stretch of E. Washington Street encompasses the area from I-95 to N. Market Street. The arterial road gives residents and visitors access to downtown Petersburg. It also serves as a path through the city for travelers driving west on Route 460, or south on Route 1.
High-crash clusters saw 101 total accidents during the five-year period. Fifty-seven of those accidents resulted in injuries. Drivers in this area should pay close attention when passing through traffic lights on this stretch of road. A majority of the accidents occurred at or near the intersections with N. Adams Street and S. Sycamore Street.
S. Crater Road & S. Sycamore Street intersection
This dangerous stretch of S. Crater Road encompasses the area around Butterworth's furniture store. It begins at Good Shepherd Baptist Church and runs north to Weyanoke Street.
This highly traveled section is a key junction in the city for people traveling to the city's strip shopping centers. It also gives drivers access to head toward Downtown Petersburg and southbound travel to the city's Walmart and medical center.
The area experienced 87 total crashes which resulted in 49 injuries. Unlike other areas, there was no specific dangerous spot on this stretch of road. It experienced several smaller high-risk crash clusters indicating that the entire corridor is a risk. Drivers should be most careful of the intersection with S. Sycamore Street, which is routinely a high-crash location.
S. Crater Road and Wagner Road Intersection
This major intersection in front of the Wawa on S. Crater Road has been a magnet for traffic accidents since 2016. The intersection itself is a major juncture for anyone heading toward Prince George County, while also giving County Drivers a route into Petersburg.
The intersection itself accounted for 86 total crashes, 53 of which resulted in injuries. It routinely registered as a very high-risk crash cluster across the five-year period. The area also includes several smaller side roads and inlets for local businesses. Most of the crashes occurred at the intersection, but drivers should also be wary of traffic entering and exiting the Wawa parking lot.
S. Crater Road approaching I-95
This portion of S. Crater Road is just north of the S. Crater Road intersection mentioned previously. It stretches from the area near Crater Square Apartments up to I-95. It also includes traffic getting off of I-95 from Graham Road.
This quarter-mile stretch of road saw 71 total accidents. Forty-four of those accidents resulted in injuries. High-risk accident clusters typically centered around drivers merging onto I-95 South, and drivers turning right from Graham Road onto S. Crater Road.
Wagner Road intersection with County Drive
This juncture is located near the city's outskirts, near its border with Prince George County. Here, two four-lane roads intersect at a large intersection that is no stranger to crashes.
This was the only high-risk cluster to record a death during the five-year period. That fatal accident occurred in January 2017.
This intersection saw a total of 52 total crashes. Thirty-one of those crashes resulted in injuries and one included a fatality. Accidents in this area were closely grouped inside the intersection, rather than the stretches of road approaching the intersection.
You can reach Sean Jones at sjones@progress-index.com. Follow him at @SeanJones_PI. Follow The Progress-Index on Twitter at @ProgressIndex.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: VDOT Data: Most dangerous roads and intersections in Petersburg
