The most dangerous mile of highway in the US has been revealed, and it’s more than 50 times deadlier than the national average.
Research by the personal injury law firm Elk & Elk found that there is a terrifying stretch of road on Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Between 2010 and 2019, a total of 24 people died in 23 fatal car accidents.
The data shows that while on a normal highway there are about 0.0083 fatalities per mile, on this dangerous 1-mile highway in Fort Lauderdale the number averages 0.479.
“If you were to drive through it at 60 miles per hour, you would pass the scene of a fatal accident every 2.6 seconds,” the joint studywhich was created in collaboration with digital agency 1Point21 Interactive, revealed.
Interstate 95 is the main north-south route on the East Coast, running nearly 2,000 miles from the Maine-Canada border to Miami.
An aerial view of the deadliest mile of road in the U.S., located just a stone’s throw from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
The dangerous section of I-95 is between Marina Mile Blvd (State Road 84) and I-595, both of which run east-west.
The most horrific accidents happen when drivers enter the Marina Mile Blvd on-ramp at high speed, unaware of the sharp 90-degree turn ahead.
According to the study, the complexity of the junctions in this area is also responsible for the shocking number of road deaths.
One of the most recent tragedies in the region was a six-car pileup in February that killed 23-year-old Yanaisa Pulido.
Pictured: The aftermath of a six-car pileup that occurred on the southbound side of I-95 through Fort Lauderdale in February 2024
Pictured: Yanaisa Pulido, 23, was killed at the scene of the accident after she got out of her own car with the intention of helping other victims
Pulido, center, pictured with her fellow firefighters at the Hialeah Fire Department. She was also a trained EMT
The driver of a red Kia Forte traveling south on I-95 near Marina Mile Blvd lost control and crashed into the concrete median, causing a black Mercedes-Benz SUV to strike him from behind. WSVN reported.
Pulido was right behind her in her black Kia Forte and stopped to render aid, as she was a certified first aider and former cadet with the Hialeah Fire Department.
Pulido was struck by a silver Cadillac ATS before she could help the injured. She was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Three others were seriously injured, including a seven-year-old child.
A few months earlier, in November 2023, a Nissan Altima collided with the rear of a truck, causing it to roll into the center reservation, overturn and burst into flames.
The driver of the semi-trailer truck died, while the woman behind the wheel of the Nissan survived the crash, WPTV reported.
Pictured: The deadliest mile in the U.S. is a stretch of Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which has 50 times more fatal car crashes than the average highway.
Pictured: The deadly truck crash on northbound I-95 in Fort Lauderdale in November 2023
In May 2021, two serious, non-fatal crashes occurred within two days, involving drivers losing control of their vehicles and falling 20 feet off the Marina Mile Blvd on-ramp to I-95.
One car fell and landed upside down, WSVN reported.
This year, two pedestrians have also died within the deadly mile-long stretch, with a woman falling from an overpass and hit by several cars in May.
Just last week, a Cadillac SUV struck and killed a 43-year-old black man when crossing an exit ramp from I-95.
In an effort to reduce traffic fatalities, Florida authorities have long planned to install “speed warning signs with flashing lights” among other safety measures as part of a highway improvement project.
Although the Federal Highway Administration provides money to improve interstate highways, individual states are responsible for maintaining the sections of road within their borders.
DailyMail.com contacted the Florida Department of Transportation to ask what strategies are in place to reduce accidents.
The tragic scene where a Cadillac SUV struck and killed a 43-year-old black man as he crossed an I-95 exit ramp in Fort Lauderdale on June 27
After the driver lost control and broke through the median, this Cadillac SUV plunged 20 feet from the Marina Mile Blvd on-ramp to I-95 in May 2021
This car fell from the exact same spot as the Cadillac just two days later
This angle shows the terrifyingly high fall the driver of this car had to take
The study also examined the deadliest 10-mile stretches of road in the U.S., finding that Houston and Dallas are among the most dangerous areas for drivers.
Houston ranks number one with Interstate 45. Between exits 49B and 60A, 148 people died between 2000 and 2019.
During the same period, a whopping 639 people were killed on five separate stretches of freeway in Dallas.
A separate analysis by Consumer Affairs found that Texas is the most dangerous state for drivers, with nearly 4,500 people killed in car crashes in 2021 alone.
California, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina round out the top five least safe states.
Although car accidents can happen anywhere, experts advise people to drive more slowly and without distractions, especially in urban areas, where traffic is heavier and on- and off-ramps are more complicated.
“On America’s most dangerous roads, a little extra speed can make the difference between life and death,” the study authors warn.