As state highways get busier, traffic volume increases and the commuter rush gets longer, it seems there is a higher chance of getting into a crash.

But some New Jersey highways seemed to resemble more of a demolition derby than others in 2018, based on the number crashes reported by the state Department of Transportation. Meet the dangerous dozen.

Some highways seem like perfect candidates, such as the 1930s era Pulaski Skyway. There are no shoulders and little margin for error on this 3.5-mile-long network of bridges that carry Route 1&9 over the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers.

After a white-knuckle drive across the Pulaski, you’d think it’s got to be a crash hot spot. But it’s not. Other sections of Routes 1 and 9 took that honor from the Pulaski a few years ago. There are other highways such as I-295, that are repeat offenders and some roads that are new to this analysis.

An NJ Advance Media analysis of recent released 2018 DOT crash statistics ranked the 12 highways with the most crashes and the section of each highway or interstate that had the highest number of crashes. We used that same data to rank the highways with the most fatal crashes in 2018 in an earlier article.

Garden State Parkway or New Jersey Turnpike numbers are based on Turnpike Authority statistics. Here are the highways with the highest number of crashes last year.

12. I-78: 2,915 crashes.

This busy highway is one of three east-west interstates traversing the state, meaning it gets a lot of through traffic. Of the 2,915 crashes that occurred in 2018, 604 resulted in injuries. The section with the most crashes was in Union Township in Union County where 203 crashes occurred, 46 of them resulting in injuries.

11. Route 27: 2,939 crashes.

Route 27 is a road that changes configuration with each town it passes through, from a two lane “Main Street” to four busy lanes lines with side streets, shopping center driveways and lots of turning and stopping traffic. It had 2,939 crashes and people were injured in 812 of them last year. The most crash prone section was between Rahway and Linden with 189 crashes last year, and 54 resulted in injuries.

10. Route 130: 3,013 crashes.

Route 130 runs between Salem and Middlesex Counties, forming a north south corridor between I-295 and Route 1. In 2018, there were 3,013 crashes on Route 130, and people were injured in 802 of them. The most crashes, 215, occurred in a section of the highway in Pennsauken. Of those crashes, 53 resulted in injuries.

9. Route 22: 3,277 crashes.

Route 22 runs east to west from Newark to Phillipsburg. Except in some of the western towns, the highway is lined with strip malls, stores and side streets, meaning lots of traffic exiting and entering the highway. Those factors contributed to the 3,277 crashes in 2018, 764 of them, injuring people. The worst section, in Union Township in Union County, had 466 crashes, 95 of them resulting in injuries.

8. I-295: 3,220 crashes.

Anyone who commutes to Philadelphia or through parts of South Jersey won’t be surprised by I-295’s placement on the list. Daily traffic on four sections was measured in six figures. Of the 3,220 crashes on I-295 last year, 721 resulted in injuries. The highest number of crashes took place on I-295 between Bellmawr and Lawnside at 358 for this two-mile section of highway, 74 of those resulted in injuries. Why is it so bad? The curving and torturous junction with I-76 and Route 42 is one mile away. The DOT is the seventh year of the multi-year Direct Connection project to build better entrance and exit ramps between the highways.

7. Route 46: 3,344 crashes.

Route 46 is another older highway with many shopping areas, side streets and traffic lights. The busy highway had 3,344 crashes in 2018 and 735 resulted in injuries. The most crashes happened in a 1.5 mile section of the highway in Little Falls, near the junction of Route 3. There were 366 crashes on that less than two mile long section of highway, and 45 of them resulted in injuries.

6. I-287: 3,550 crashes.

I-287 is a busy north-south road between the New York State Thruway and the New Jersey Turnpike for commuters and trucks hauling cargo. It saw 3,550 crashes last year and people were injured in 618 of them. A three-mile section between Bridgewater and Bedminster had the most collisions at 320 crashes in 2018, 57 of them resulting in injuries. That section includes junctions with Route 22, Routes 202-206 and I-78.

5. Route 9: 4,405 crashes.

Route 9 is long, busy and dangerous where out of 4,405 crashes, a total of 1,165 resulted in injuries last year. A three-mile section in Old Bridge that includes a junction with Route 18 had the highest number of crashes at 337 crashes last year. People were injured in 92 of those crashes. That area of Route 9 has numerous traffic lights and is a corridor for suburban commuters.

4. I-80: 4,722 crashes.

The busiest of east-west highways connects the Delaware and Hudson Rivers and had 4,722 crashes last year, 961 of them causing injuries. Of those, the most, 346 crashes, occurred on a two-mile section in Paterson between Route 19 and 20 and 76 of those crashes resulted in injuries.

3. Route 1: 6,915 crashes.

What makes Route 1 so dangerous? There are a high number of traffic lights, intersections and parking lot entrances and exits. The entire highway had 6,915 crashes last year and people were injured in 1,596 of them. A two-mile stretch of Route 1 in West Windsor, bounded by malls and office parks had the highest number of crashes, 246, and 37 of them resulting in injuries in 2018.

2. New Jersey Turnpike: 7,777 crashes.

This highway is a monster in the sheer volume of traffic it moves. And it keeps going up since it part of the larger I-95 that spans the eastern U.S. Last year the Turnpike had 7,777 crashes. If that sounds like a lot, consider that 230 million vehicles used the turnpike in 2018.

1. Garden State Parkway: 10,363 crashes.

Similar to our analysis of highways with the most fatal crashes, the Garden State Parkway was on the top of the list, as a function of how much traffic it moves. It also had the most crashes at 10,363. Last year, the Parkway had 389 million toll transactions, which is traffic is measured on that toll road.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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