Los Angeles is a city infamous for its heavy traffic and numerous car accidents. A recent study by MoneyGeek analyzed 13,851 police reports on collisions resulting in injury or fatality between 2020 and 2022 to determine the most dangerous intersections in the city. Shockingly, 86 intersections across the city experienced at least 10 crashes with injuries or deaths. South Central Los Angeles, the area south of downtown, from I-10 to around I-105, was home to four of the five most dangerous intersections.
The intersection of S. Vermont Avenue and W. Florence Avenue emerged as the worst of the intersections analyzed, recording 19 injury crashes in two years. The other four most dangerous intersections were W. Manchester Avenue and S. Normandie Avenue, Victory Boulevard and Lindley Avenue, W. Manchester Avenue and S. Vermont Avenue, and E. Manchester Avenue and Avalon Boulevard, with 18 injury crashes each.
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) states that more than 200 people are killed in traffic crashes on city streets every year, with residents of underserved communities disproportionately affected. The LADOT is committed to reducing traffic deaths to zero through its Vision Zero commitment, which aims to make the city safer for all commuters. However, the city’s traffic safety record has deteriorated in the past two years, with traffic deaths exceeding 300 for the first time in two decades.
As the city’s self-imposed deadline for zero traffic deaths looms closer, officials have called for a renewed focus on improving street safety. The most dangerous intersections identified in this study serve as a wake-up call for the city to take immediate action to ensure the safety of its citizens.
