PHOENIX — The riskiest intersection in Maricopa County comes in the form of a roundabout. According to the Maricopa Association of Governments, 99th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road had more crashes from 2017 to 2021 than any other intersection.
From 2017 to 2021, there were 411 crashes at 99th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road.
"There's a lot of accidents that happen -- a lot of beeping," said Samantha Edwards, who works nearby. "This is the worst intersection in Arizona."
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"It's horrible. It's horrible. I don't understand who thought of this," said Desirae Hernandez, who has lived in the area of the intersection her entire life.
Those who are familiar with the intersection say they aren't surprised by the roundabout topping the list.
"It's kind of confusing on the signs. But a lot of the time, people will try to switch lanes when they're trying to go, or they'll just switch lanes without even signaling," said James Parsons.
"I know it's dangerous. And I'm always leery when I come through here," said John Wales as he walked across the intersection. "I pick up plastic bumpers and lights."
"I get scared to drive here sometimes so I tend to avoid it," said Karen Vargas.
In an effort to improve the safety of the county's streets, the Maricopa Association of Governments, or MAG, analyzed intersections. They looked at a number of factors, including the number of crashes and cars involved, the severity of those incidents, and crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists.
"We take three things into into consideration. One is crash frequency, or just the number of crashes at any intersection, the crash severity, and the crash type," said Margaret Herrera, MAG's Transportation Safety and Operations Program Manager. "So all those three factors go in and we do weight the crash severity a little bit heavier."
“We understand that we can't eliminate all crashes. But we want to reduce the impact the human impact of those crashes when they do occur," Herrera said.
The City of Phoenix is aware of the intersection's track record. A spokesperson told 12News the roundabout was built in 2002 and the area has seen significant development and an increase in traffic volume since.
The city plans to study the intersection sometime in 2024.
"That study will help determine options moving forward, which could include modifications to the existing roundabout or changing it to a signalized intersection," said Gregg Bach, a senior public information officer with Phoenix's Street Transportation Department.
Many drivers who weighed in on the intersection's safety suggested more education for drivers, or said they believe the city should ditch the roundabout and replace it with a traffic light.
More effective would be the red light green light.
MAG said it received updated crash data this summer and plans to release a new list sometime between November and January.
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