In answer to our question, the national statistics show that you are most likely to get in an accident within 10 miles of your home. That, of course is just a numbers game based on the fact that most people do most of their driving within that radius. Comedians will comment that this shows you should never drive within 10 miles of your house. Hardly practical, but it is consistent with the point most car accident victims make when they say their accident occurred in an unexpected location and time.
A long-time motorcyclist who has avoided multiple accidents over several years claims his secret is he always expects an accident. The car that isn’t signaling is going to turn left. The car pulling into traffic can’t see you and the car racing toward the intersection has no idea the light is red. So maybe it is true, when you don’t expect an accident is when it will happen.
I-15 The Highway For Car Accidents
According to national statistics, the I-15 stretch, from LA to Speedway Boulevard, ranks consistently in the top 5 most dangerous highways in the US. In 2010, it ranked #1, but even with some improvements it still ranks in the top 10. It averages 1.5 deaths per mile per year. Statistically that would mean the 30-mile stretch that runs west of Las Vegas is a pretty dangerous stretch of road. It only makes sense though. All the tourists day and night rubbernecking to get a good view of the strip and the golden towers rising to the east of the freeway make for plenty of distracted drivers.
Typically, it would make sense to hop on I-15 if you are heading from Enterprise to Nellis AFB. However, you need to consider that stretch of road is crawling with California drivers. Not that they are that much different from Nevada drivers, but the Utah drivers coming from the north on their way to California can be another story. They don’t have anything that even resembles Las Vegas in Utah and the sight can really get them gawking.
There is nothing inherently dangerous about I-15 other than the thousand of drivers per day that are not familiar with the area. They might be looking for their exit or possibly looking to catch a glimpse of the hotel where they stayed 15 years earlier.
The same goes for every road in Vegas. Roads are seldom dangerous; it’s the drivers that make them that way. Avoid areas where people could be distracted. Unfortunately, with habitual texters, that could now be anywhere. Your best advice comes from the motorcyclist above.