Report: I-17 is nation’s 4th most deadly highway – and most dangerous part is in Phoenix

Interstate 17 is No. 4 on a list of the deadliest highways in the nation, and the section through Phoenix is considered the most dangerous stretch of the interstate, according to a study by the GPS tracking company Teletrac Navman.

From 2011 to 2015, there were 123 fatalities on the 146-mile-long freeway between Flagstaff and Phoenix, the study states. That’s one death every .87 miles, it was reported.

The findings are based on federal Fatal Accident Reporting System data retrieved from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The data shows 49 deaths occurred on I-17 inside Phoenix city limits.

MORE: What are the deadliest stretches of Phoenix-area freeways?

According to an analysis by The Arizona Republic, the deadliest sections on I-17 between 2013 to 2015 were Bell Road to Greenway Road with five crashes in 1 mile, and Happy Valley Road to Loop 303 with eight crashes in 4 miles.

From 2013 to 2015, a fatal freeway accident occurred in the Valley about every five days, leaving 207 people dead, The Republic's analysis shows.

Fatalities on Arizona's urban freeways and interstates occurred at a rate 61 percent higher than the national average, according to 2013 Federal Highway Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

MAP: The 25 most dangerous highways calculated by fatalities per mile

The Teletrac Navman study broke down the most dangerous time to be on I-17: March 3 between 3 and 4 p.m. Saturdays were the most common days for fatal crashes.

Aside from a vehicle colliding into other vehicles, rollovers and pedestrians were attributed as the second and third, respectively, most common reasons for fatalities on the highway.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety declined to comment on the study, saying they were not involved in the process of information collecting.

Teletrac Navman did not return requests for an interview by The Republic.

"(DPS) is committed to the safety of the citizens of Arizona through enforcement of state laws," DPS spokesman Quentin Mehr said in an emailed statement.

"DPS reminds all drivers to obey the speed limit, stay sober, stay alert and focused at all times when driving and don't forget to wear your seatbelt," he said.

The Arizona Department of Transportation recently installed 26 new signs along a portion I-17 as part of an ongoing effort targeting wrong-way and impaired drivers.

The goal: catch the attention of a wrong-way driver, often impaired, before he or she causes a potentially fatal crash.

ADOT also declined to assess the I-17 study, but said that nearly all crashes and traffic fatalities on all roadways stem from driver behavior.

How other cities rank

Interstate 4, running from Tampa to Daytona Beach, Florida, was named the most dangerous highway in the country. More than 165 people were killed along the 132-mile interstate from 2011 to 2015.

That’s 1.25 fatalities for each mile.

Here are the top 5 deadliest highways:

Interstate 4. Interstate 25, which runs from Dallas to Galveston, Texas. U.S. 192, which runs from Four Corners to Indialantic, Florida. I-17. Interstate 95, which runs from Miami, Florida to Weston, Massachusetts.

Republic reporter Jessica Boehm contributed to this article.

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