Intersections in Warren, Sterling Heights top ‘most dangerous’ list

MACOMB COUNTY — Intersections in Sterling Heights and Warren top an annual list of the most dangerous intersections in Macomb County in 2024.

The list, published in November by Michigan Auto Law, used accident reports from the Michigan State Police to determine the 10 most dangerous intersections for the year.

“Our list of Macomb County’s most dangerous intersections reflects the latest car accident data available from 2024 on the top 10 interchanges with the highest number of reported car crashes,” the firm said in a statement.

Founded in 1969, Michigan Auto Law is a Michigan-based personal injury law firm specializing in auto and truck accident cases. According to the statement published by the firm, the list is provided to help keep Michigan drivers safe by telling them where they need to use extra caution.

Topping the list is the intersection of 11 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue in Warren. According to the report, in 2024, the intersection saw 185 total crashes with 26 injuries reported.

Warren Police Capt. Paul Houtos, who leads the department’s Patrol Services Bureau, said the reason the intersection tops the list is due to the high volume of traffic.

“That intersection sees a heavy combination of commercial vehicles and personally-owned vehicles transitioning from the freeway speeds to slower local speeds,” he said in an email. “Combine that heavy traffic volume with drivers who are in a hurry, distracted or not familiar with the area and this leads to a higher number of rear-end and sideswipe accidents, especially during peak traffic hours.”

Drivers on Van Dyke can’t turn left onto the service drives, but some still make illegal left turns into the gas station at the northwest corner to avoid using the “Michigan left,” which has caused multiple crashes when they’re hit by southbound traffic, Houtos said.

Other causes, according to Houtos, stem from drivers in the dual right-turn lanes drifting out of their designated lanes and sideswiping other vehicles.

To make the intersection safer, Houtos said, would require a “multi-pronged approach,” including having the Michigan Department of Transportation study the engineering of the intersection.

“Van Dyke, or M-53, is a state highway so our department has been in contact with MDOT to have them study the engineering of the intersection,” he said. “I believe that better signage or lane marking may help, especially where multiple lanes are allowed to turn from the same direction.”

Houtos said the department has also considered using its drone team to record the intersection during peak hours to get information about choke points and what traffic violations are regularly occurring.

“The choke points can be resolved through engineering. Common or reoccurring traffic violations can be addressed by added enforcement and education,” he said.

The second most dangerous intersection on the list, with 162 crashes and 12 injuries, is the intersection at 18 1/2 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue in Sterling Heights.

The intersection is a roundabout serving as on and off ramps between Van Dyke, 18 1/2 Mile and the Van Dyke freeway, or M-53.

Despite being named on the list, Sterling Heights Police Lt. Aaron Susalla said it has the lowest percentage of crashes with injuries in the area.

“This roundabout moves a tremendous amount of traffic throughout the day and almost all of the crashes that occur are sideswipes with the vehicles moving in the same direction,” he said. “This is the reason injury rates from crashes at this intersection are so low.”

Susalla said the way the data is collected can be misleading. When the intersections are rated, the data shows the number of crashes that occurred without taking the injuries resulting from the crash into consideration, he said.

“I think the most important information to understand from this data is the fact that though the crash numbers may be high, our roundabout is not dangerous with the proof being a low injury rate on the crashes that occur here,” he said.

Despite not considering the intersection dangerous, Susalla said the department is taking steps to reduce the number of crashes, including education.

“Many of the drivers on the road did not have roundabout education in their drivers training curriculum, which is now part of that. So, to educate us more mature drivers, we have produced P.S.A. videos and social media posts on how to properly navigate a roundabout,” he said.

Most of the crashes that occur at the roundabout are caused by drivers who are unfamiliar with the correct navigation within the roundabout, he said.

A video created by the department about roundabout safety can be seen on the city’s YouTube page.

Other intersections on the list include 10 Mile Road and Interstate 94 in St. Clair Shores, 11 Mile Road and Hoover Road in Warren, and Hall and Hayes roads in Macomb Township. The entire list can be found at michiganautolaw.com.