The Most Dangerous Intersections in Los Angeles Are in Downtown and South Central LA

Los Angeles is famous for its traffic and classic grid layout. With 22,000 miles of road, the city has thousands of intersections. Many of these are highly trafficked and — in some cases — dangerous. According to the Federal Highway Administration, one-quarter of all fatal accidents and half of all crashes resulting in injury happen in intersections.

MoneyGeek analyzed collision data from the Los Angeles Police Department to find the most dangerous intersections in LA. Our study looked at 13,851 intersection traffic collisions in Los Angeles that resulted in injury or death between 2020 and 2022. Here's what we found.

• LA has 86 intersections that were the site of 10 or more crashes that caused injury or death. These intersections are scattered throughout the city, but the five most dangerous are concentrated in South Central LA.

• The intersection of S. Vermont Avenue and W. Florence Avenue is the most dangerous in LA; 19 accidents involving injury or death occurred there.

• Downtown LA has the most intersection crashes of any neighborhood in the city, with 937 deadly or injurious crashes.

MoneyGeek’s analysis found that 86 intersections in LA were the site of 10 or more crashes that resulted in injury or death, making them the most dangerous intersections in the city. These 86 most dangerous intersections account for 7% of all injury-producing intersection crashes that occurred in LA between 2020 and 2022.

The five most dangerous intersections in the city have all been the site of either 19 or 18 crashes, led by the intersection of S. Vermont Avenue and W. Florence Avenue, where 19 injury-producing collisions occurred. Four of the five most dangerous intersections are located in South Central Los Angeles neighborhoods.

If your neighborhood isn’t home to one of the most dangerous intersections, it’s safer for driving and walking, right? Maybe, maybe not.

From 2020 to 2022, 6,466 LA intersections were the site of at least one crash injury or fatality. Just because your neighborhood doesn’t have one of the most dangerous intersections doesn’t mean you can let your guard down when you’re running to the shop around the corner.

MoneyGeek found that Downtown LA had the most intersection crashes in the city, with 937 producing an injury or fatality; however, this neighborhood wasn’t home to any of the top 5 or even the top 20 most dangerous intersections in the city. Neighborhoods with a larger volume of intersection crashes are a sign of potential danger for both pedestrians and drivers, but it’s essential to also factor in a neighborhood’s size and relative busyness, such as in the case of Downtown LA.

MoneyGeek found the 15 neighborhoods with the most intersection crashes in Los Angeles. For each of them, we determined the most dangerous intersection in the neighborhood, the total number of crashes and the number of crashes per square mile.

There’s no avoiding the dangers of intersections in any city, let alone LA. While the Los Angeles Department of Transportation continues to work on making streets safer across the city, pedestrians and drivers also need to take steps to be safe and keep others safe. Here are some ways to protect yourself and those around you, both as pedestrians and drivers.

Navigating a city as a pedestrian may feel second nature to you. However, as with all things mastered, it can be easy to get overly comfortable and make mistakes. These key takeaways are among those that caregivers teach kids about road and traffic safety, and they can be helpful for any pedestrian to keep in mind:

Getting behind the wheel of over 2,000 pounds of machine comes with immense responsibility. Before you start your engine in the Golden State, it's important to know California's minimum car insurance requirements, penalties and other auto insurance laws to make sure you’re adequately covered in the event of an accident. When insurance can be expensive, there are a variety of cheap car insurance policies in LA. If you want to go beyond the minimum-needed protection, a full coverage auto insurance policy can ensure you're covered for your liability to others and yourself.

You likely passed through an intersection the last time you drove a car, but here's a refresher on how to stay safe and ensure the safety of others:

To find the intersections with the most injury or death-producing collisions in Los Angeles, MoneyGeek analyzed traffic collision data from Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Los Angeles Open Data site from 2020 to 2022.

MoneyGeek identified intersection-related injury collisions using the reported Modus Operandi (MO) codes from the LAPD’s data set and utilized the University of Southern California’s Los Angeles Neighborhood Map to identify where those crashes occurred. Maps were generated using Mapbox and OpenStreetMap.

If you have any questions about MoneyGeek’s findings or methodology, please contact Doug Milnes via email at dougmilnes@moneygeek.com.