A list of 10 intersections with the highest collision rates in Toronto might surprise drivers and pedestrians.

The intersection of Lake Shore Blvd. E. and Lower Jarvis St., which saw 239 collisions with a daily vehicle volume of 24,972, tops the list compiled using data from 2009 to 2013.

The list also includes several intersections outside the downtown core, including St. Clair Ave. and Old Weston Rd, Ellesmere Rd. and Bellamy Rd., and Lawrence Ave. E. and Midland Ave.

To determine the collision rate, the total number of crashes at intersections over the five-year period was weighed against the vehicle volume each intersection received on a typical weekday. The rate is the number of collisions that occurred for every 1,000 vehicles that passed through the intersection.

“The locations on this list have relatively high volume, a large number of approach lines either in two directions or in all directions, and in some cases, have some complex turning maneuvers,” explained Mike Brady, Toronto’s manager of traffic safety projects.

However, Lake Shore Blvd. E. and Lower Jarvis St. sees a high number of rear-end collisions in particular, which are usually indicative of driver inattentiveness, following too closely, and not driving in accordance with the road conditions, says Brady.

“Why those three things are showing up at Lake Shore and Jarvis, I can’t explain,” he says.

Prior to mid-2009, before a signal was introduced to reduce the number of collisions in the intersection, drivers travelling south on Lower Jarvis St. had to navigate a complex turn to get onto the westbound Gardiner Expressway, with potential conflict controlled only by a yield sign.

Collision data showed that the turn was problematic, and the city made a change to control it through signals.

“Through signalization, we’ve mitigated the potential conflict, and as a result, the collision experience has been much more favourable,” Brady says, explaining how this type of data is used.

Other intersections that are not as complicated on a map, Lawrence Ave. E. and Midland Ave. for example, are more likely to be on the list as a result of high traffic volume and multiple lanes of approach in both directions.

“Lawrence also rises just west of the intersection to provide an overpass for a rail corridor, so the proximity of the signal to the elevated bridge could play a role in the collision history,” says Brady. “Unfortunately, geometrically, there’s no hard way of actually fixing that.”

The inclusion of these intersections on the list, however, doesn’t mean they should be avoided altogether, says Brady, pointing out that a lot of zeros precede the first number after the decimal point in the collision rate, adding that it’s important to look at the numbers in the context they represent.

“They are locations where road users need to be paying full attention while walking, driving, cycling past, and there’s no disputing that,” he says. “But the intersections are not inherently dangerous.”

1. Lake Shore Blvd. E. at Lower Jarvis St.

2. Lake Shore Blvd. E. at Don Roadway

3. Ellesmere Rd. at Bellamy Rd.

4. Lawrence Ave. E. at Midland Ave.

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5. St. Clair Ave. at Old Weston Rd.

6. Sheppard Ave. at Morningside Rd.

7. Weston Rd. at Lawrence Ave.

8. Ellesmere Rd. at Morningside Rd.

9. Islington Ave. at Albion Rd.

10. Lake Shore Blvd. W. at Spadina Ave.