US 19.  That’s right, if you have lived in Pinellas County for any length of time, I bet you could’ve guessed that US 19 would have been the road that experiences more traffic accidents than any other in the county.  It’s a major north-south artery and has very traffic volume all day and every day.

According to Sunstar EMS which conducted the study, “In Pinellas County, U.S. Highway 19 and Tampa Road has had the most crashes of any intersection over the past six years, partly because it’s the fourth most congested intersection in the county. In second place is the Curlew Road and U.S. Highway 19 intersection, which is in the same vicinity. In all, eight of the top 25 crash intersections are along the U.S. 19 corridor.”

US 19 is also notorious for always being under construction at some point in Pinellas County.  This can also lead to car accidents.  Construction zones can be dangerous especially if drivers aren’t particularly cautious or are unaware of sudden changes in lanes or road conditions.  Another leading cause of traffic accidents in the Bay area concerns the frequency with which drivers will run yellow lights in order to speed up the commute or make it on time for an appointment.  While passing through a yellow light is not necessarily illegal, one never knows for sure when the yellow light will turn red.  This type of aggressive driving has led to a number of intersection collisions in Pinellas County and some of the most dangerous intersections for this type of accident are listed in the SunStar report.

According to Pinellas County’s own most recent statistics, the intersection with the most fatal car accidents may surprise.  It’s Gandy Blvd. and San Fernando Boulevard.  The second most dangerous intersection that leads to fatalities is I-275 and Gandy Boulevard.  I suspect that may change when construction on that intersection is completed soon.