Kentucky highways claim hundreds of lives each year in devastating car accidents. These wrecks are most often caused by distracted driving, drunk driving, and speeding – especially through construction zones. Certain highways in Kentucky are considered more dangerous than others because of the number of deaths. Take note of the highways on this list and proceed with extra caution whenever using one:
I-64
In Kentucky, Interstate-64 begins at Louisville and runs along the Ohio River. It overlaps with Interstate-75, near Lexington. It passes through Bath, Boyd, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jefferson, Rowan, Scott, Shelby, and Woodford counties. Construction to restore the Cochran Hill Tunnel on this highway occurred in 2001 because the Federal Highway Administration deemed this portion of I-64 to be exceptionally significant. At the time, they considered painting the interior tiles with a mural. This idea was quickly dropped because opponents pointed out the high number of crashes and fatalities on this road and didn’t want to contribute distractions.
I-65
Interstate-65 travels for 138 miles through Kentucky. It sees some of the highest fatalities numbers for Kentucky car accidents because of high speeds and the number of tractor trailers. Highways like this account for 75 percent of large truck travel throughout the country. I-65 passes directly through Louisville. Louisville has the highest city accident rates in Kentucky, with 131,929 occurring from 2012 to 2016. 357 of those wrecks ended with fatalities.
I-75
Interstate-75 travels for almost 192 miles through the eastern half of Kentucky, north to south. It passes through Williamsburg, Lexington, Covington, and into Tennessee. Wrecks occur all along the I-75, especially because this highway runs with six lanes throughout most of the state.
KY-4
Kentucky Route 4, also known as New Circle Road, travels around the city of Lexington, which has the second highest city accident rates. From 2012 to 2016, there were 65,188 crashes in Lexington, 141 of which were fatal. The majority of this highway is classified as limited-access; however, the rest is an urban principal arterial highway. This highway has gone through multiple reconstructions since its initial construction in 1950.
In an attempt to reduce the number of needless car accident deaths and improve the safety of dangerous highways, Kentucky’s “Toward Zero Deaths” program focuses on promoting seatbelt use, sober and distraction-free driving, and cyclist and pedestrian safety. If you or a loved one have been injured or killed in a Kentucky car accident, our Lexington car accident lawyers are on your side. Contact us today for a free consultation.
