It’s a well known fact that intersections are inherently more dangerous than any other part of the road. The Federal Highway Administration states that roughly 2.5 million accidents a year are reported at intersections and over 50% of all serious collisions and 20% of fatal collisions occur at intersections. While all intersections are capable of being dangerous, some are more prone to accidents and injuries than others. For this reason, we wanted to take a more in-depth look at the most dangerous intersections in our local area including Lansing and Ingham County. These locations were chosen simply because the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Reporting Unit collected data which is reported based on the # of accidents and injuries. There are many other dangerous intersections in Mid-Michigan and please feel free to comment with your own suggestions!
In order to give you a better idea on why these particular locations are more dangerous, we wanted to go a step further than simply include them in a list. Our Lansing car accident lawyers went out to each of these locations and filmed a short video to give you an idea of the traffic patterns so you can see for yourself. These videos were filmed between 8am and 10am during the week. It may not be peak traffic at each area, but it should give you a general idea of why more accidents and injuries occurred there as opposed to other intersections. It’s also important to note that not all accidents are reported and there could be more dangerous intersections out there that the police data doesn’t account for.
Top 10 Most Dangerous Intersections in Lansing and Ingham County
1.) Grand River Avenue and Hagadorn Road in East Lansing
This particular intersection accounted for 72 total car accidents and 12 injuries in 2018. It is located on a busy corner of Michigan State University Campus located near many business and dormitories nearby. There tends to be a lot of vehicle traffic regardless the time of day and because of it’s central location on campus, many students are driving to and from classes. It’s also worth noting there are lots of pedestrians and bicyclists at this intersection as well. Many drivers are impatient during their commute, distracted, or simply don’t see the people in the crosswalk when turning. This can cause a chain reaction of events which usually increases the likelihood of a crash.
2.) Grand River Avenue and Howard Street in Lansing
This area where Grand River and US 127 come together is extremely dangerous. In fact 4 intersections out of this top 10 list are very close in proximity and for good reason. Drivers coming off highway 127 are traveling at a high speed and there is a lot of merging required depending on where the driver is headed. While this technically is in Lansing, it’s sort of where East Lansing traffic meets Lansing Traffic and there is a busy highway nearby. On top of this, many businesses including Frandor are located here too causing even more vehicle traffic. This intersection had 54 total vehicle accidents and 18 injuries in 2018 alone.
3.) Coolidge Road and Lake Lansing Road in East Lansing
This intersection is close the Lake Lansing Exit off US127 and receives a lot of traffic. While filming this intersection, it seems like many people are just extremely rushed here for some reason. This intersection resulted in 52 total collisions and 12 injuries during the 2018 year. There are multiple grocery stores including Kroger and Meijer along with other businesses such as Burger King, Maru Sushi, and many more. In fact, there were multiple car horns that I heard even though I didn’t manage to get them on video. Overall, you just need to make sure you are paying full attention at this intersection as it can definitely be tricky to navigate.
4.) Saginaw Street and Homer Street in Lansing
This intersection is very close to the #2 most dangerous intersection. It’s right next to the US 127 overpass and it just a high traffic area in general where vehicles are moving at a high rate of speed. There are 5 lanes at this stop light and many people are merging to get to their desired location. I noticed many people accelerating right when they get to the light as well which makes it even more dangerous. Just finding a safe spot to film this intersection wasn’t exactly easy lol. This location accounted for 52 total vehicle crashes and 6 injuries.
5.) Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Holmes Road in Lansing
There was lots of construction in the area at the time of filming, so it’s safe to assume there is usually more traffic here than pictured in the video. This intersection totaled 47 collisions and 6 injuries during the 2018 calendar year. Regardless, its easy to see why it is considered dangerous. Even with the construction, there was a good amount of traffic with 3 lanes going in all 4 directions. Many businesses and bus-stops are nearby which contributes to the heavier traffic. It only takes one distracted driver for a split second to run a red light and cause a serious accident or injury.
6.) Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Main Street in Lansing
This intersection was a little tricky for me to locate as Google Maps was unable to find this particular location. After studying the map for a bit, it turns out Malcolm X eventually turns into main street so the title is a bit misleading. Anyways, I was able to park at the BP Gas Station to film this intersection. There currently is a UAW strike ongoing so there were lots of vehicles driving by honking their horns and waving. While this didn’t result in any accidents, it could definitely lead itself to increased distracted driving. While I didn’t hit this intersection at peak traffic, it’s easy to see that it is more dangerous than most other intersections in Ingham County. This intersection saw 46 total vehicle crashes and 18 injuries.
7.) Grand River Avenue and Clippert Street in Lansing
This intersection is close in proximity to the #2 and the #4 most dangerous intersections in Ingham County. Just from this short clip it’s easy to see why. This is where Grand River Avenue and Saginaw Highway merge together and drivers are positioning themselves to continue on or get on US127. There are 5 lanes and quick merging is required while vehicles are traveling at a high rate of speed. If you are unfamiliar with this particular area, it can be quite confusing. Add in the fact Frandor is right next by and you have a recipe for a dangerous intersection. The data backs this up as it accounted for 45 total vehicle collisions and 5 injuries.
8.) Grand River Avenue and US 127 in Lansing
This is the final of the 4 dangerous intersections located within a stone throw of each other. I seem to be repeating myself a lot with the 4 intersections, but it’s a high traffic area with lots of high speed vehicles and the need to merge quickly. Because of this, this area led to 45 total vehicle crashes and 9 injuries in 2018. Getting onto US127 South can be extremely confusing as you make a left hand turn both both lanes don’t get onto the highway causing lots of problems in addition to just the dangerous intersection itself. As you can see in the short clip, vehicles are going straight onto the highway at high rates of speed. Running a yellow light or being distracted for just a short period of time could easily result in a dangerous collision here.
9.) Abbot Road and Saginaw Street in East Lansing
This is a busy intersection located very nearby to Michigan State University campus. For this reason, there is an increased number of pedestrians and bicyclists in the area. Vehicles are traveling at a high rate of speed on Saginaw and Abbot connects the main road (Grand River Avenue) on campus. In addition to this, this intersection has a lot of bus traffic simply because there is a lot student housing down abbot road including all of the Chandler properties. This intersection had 42 total crashes and 4 injuries in 2018.
10.) Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Saint Joseph Street in Lansing
This intersection is very close to #6 and dangerous for many of the same reasons. It accounted for 42 total vehicle collision and 20 injuries. Two busy roads intersect each other here and it’s a heavily populated area during commuting hours. It’s in close proximity to a major highway and just seems like everyone is in a hurry. Just one distracted driver or someone not paying attention could easily cause an accident or injury at this intersection.