Report Highlights Dangerous Intersections in Norfolk and Virginia Beach

Dozens of crashes occur every day in Hampton Roads. While many of them are fender benders, others cause serious injuries and even deaths. Intersections are the most dangerous places on the highway. A recent report highlights some of the most hazardous traffic intersections in Virginia Beach and Norfolk.

What Are the Most Dangerous Intersections?

A report by the news channel WTKR singled out the intersection of Indian River Road and Kempsville Road in Virginia Beach as the most hazardous in the biggest city in the Commonwealth. According to the Virginia Beach Police Department, the intersection was the scene of 49 auto accidents in 2021.

The report comes at a time when road deaths are steadily rising even though cars have more safety features than in past years. About 20,160 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the first half of last year, up 18.4% over 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Road deaths in 2021 rose to their highest level since 2006.

“This is a crisis. More than 20,000 people died on U.S. roads in the first six months of 2021, leaving countless loved ones behind. We cannot and should not accept these fatalities as simply a part of everyday life in America,” said United States Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

WTKR also noted the most hazardous intersections in Norfolk. Norfolk city officials provided data that used statistics over two years. The Norfolk Police Department provided the following list of the most dangerous intersections in the city in 2021:

• Northampton Blvd/Wesleyan Dr.
• 5 Points
• Military Hwy./E. Little Creek Rd.
• Tidewater Dr./E. Princess Anne Rd.
• Military Hwy./E. Princess Anne Rd./Northampton Blvd.
• Lafayette Blvd./Tidewater Dr.
• Tidewater Dr./Thole St.
• Poplar Hall Dr./N. Military Hwy.
• Chesapeake Blvd./E. Little Creek Rd.
• 26th St./Monticello Ave.

News 3 also interviewed Dr. Bryan Porter, a psychology professor and the associate dean of Old Dominion University’s graduate school. Porter has been studying crash data for three decades.

Porter said many of Virginia’s serious wrecks in 2021 were concentrated near on-ramps to I-264. In Hampton, many of the crashes were reported along W. Mercury Boulevard, a fast-moving urban corridor that joins Hampton to Newport News.

“Many of the locations that are high-risk for crashes are those that you would expect. So, urban areas, lots of traffic, lots of exposure to other vehicles – those are the natural areas where there’s going to be crashes,” Porter said.

As Virginia Beach personal injury lawyers, we help the victims of terrible accidents at the most dangerous intersections in Hampton Roads. These include Jefferson Avenue and Oyster Point Road in Newport News, a chaotic urban intersection which sees frequent crashes.

The Virginian-Pilot recently highlighted some of the most annoying intersections in the Tidewater area. These are often the most congested places in cities. They include Deep Creek Bridge in Chesapeake. At peak hours traffic backs up at the intersection of George Washington Highway, Mill Creek Parkway, Moses Grandy Trail, and Old Mill Road.

The most annoying intersection in Hampton was revealed to be the intersection of Settlers Landing Road and the on- and off-ramps to the I-64. Drivers habitually fail to slow when they reach on and off ramps, causing wrecks. Congestion on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel at peak times backs up the approach roads at this intersection.

The Pilot found Portsmouth residents are almost unanimous about the most annoying intersection in the city – the convergence of McLean Street, Airline Boulevard, Portsmouth Boulevard, and Turnpike Road.

Contact a Skilled Attorney Today

Although most drivers know of an intersection that annoys or intimates them, any section of roadway can be dangerous when drivers are distracted, drunk, or speeding. Please see our Virginia car accident resources if you have been hurt in an accident or contact our personal injury team at (757) 333-3333.