Most Dangerous Roads In San Diego, CA
Located near California’s southern border and the U.S.’s international border with Mexico, the City of San Diego attracts millions of tourists and visitors each year. Like the millions who call San Diego home, they depend on the city’s highways and surface streets to get to their destination.
Many car accidents in San Diego come from the same traffic problems that plague other major cities, including congested highways, frustrated drivers, and individuals passing through the area who are not familiar with the city’s roads and driving customs. All drivers should exercise caution when driving in San Diego, especially during the peak commuting hours in the morning and evening.
Top 5 Most Dangerous Roads In San Diego
More than 4,100 crashes occurred throughout California. Over 100 fatal motor vehicle crashes took place in San Diego alone. While a fatal crash can happen anywhere, the following five roads saw more than 20 percent of the city’s fatality wrecks. Therefore, driving safely requires drivers to give their full attention to the road when traveling on them:
1. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway
This east-west highway intersects with Interstate 5 near downtown San Diego and crosses several major highways before eventually intersecting with Interstate 8. Near San Diego, five fatal crashes happened on this road in 2022, including four that occurred between the Interstate 5 junction and the State Route 15 intersection.
2. Interstate 8
Another major east-west highway in the San Diego area, I-8, is located north of downtown near the San Diego airport and USMC Recruit Depot San Diego. This, along with its intersection with Interstate 5, which runs north-south, helps explain the large volume of traffic on this road. Between its intersections with I-5 and I-805, seven fatal crashes occurred in 2022.
3. Interstate 5
One of California’s most prominent highways, Interstate 5, is essential not only for traffic moving through San Diego but also for individuals traveling between Mexico and Canada. Beginning near Chula Vista and the intersection with State Route 54, nine crashes occurred before the intersection with Balboa Avenue in the north.
4. Interstate 805
Interstate 805 is an alternate route for those needing to move north or south around San Diego but who want to avoid Interstate 5 and downtown traffic. However, this road also carries its own risks. Ten fatal accidents occurred between South Bay Parkway, just south of National City, and Route 52 in the north.
5. Cabrillo Parkway
This road makes the list not only for the five fatal crashes it experienced in 2022 but also where along its length those crashes occurred. Cabrillo Parkway has its northern terminus at Interstate 15 in the north. From there, it proceeds south-southwest until it connects with Interstate 5. However, all five of its fatal wrecks occurred between Genesee Avenue and I-8.
Driving Safety Tips For San Diego
Residents and tourists alike are at risk of injury or death when driving on San Diego’s roads. Those who live and work in the city are at risk of becoming complacent and failing to give their full attention to the road. Similarly, tourists may be so busy looking at their navigation devices or taking in the sites that they get distracted from the road in front of them.
Therefore, safety begins by focusing on surrounding traffic and the road you are driving on, especially when traveling the city’s most dangerous highways. You should also travel at a safe and reasonable speed, allowing for sufficient space between you and the car ahead of you. These two tips can help reduce the chances that you or your loved ones will be hurt in a crash.