Between 2018 and 2021 there were there were 122,595 crashes in the Birmingham metro area resulting in 376 fatalities and 18,477 total injuries according to the Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

According to City-Data.com. there are five interstates and roadways in particular that saw the highest percentage of these crashes: I-20/I-59, I-65, South Shades Crest Road, and Jefferson Avenue Southwest.

Those local roadways were included in a list compiled from that data by Bodewell Injury Attorneys as “the most dangerous roads in Birmingham” which was released last fall.

“Some roads in and around Birmingham see much higher rates of crashes and fatalities. These roads tend to be main arterial roads or state/county highways,” Bodewell noted. “High speeds, distracted driving, inclement weather, and other factors can make a dangerous road even more threatening. The most frequent accidents happen in urban areas of Birmingham and Jefferson County, and most fatal accidents happen on high-speed roadways.”

But the head of the Birmingham Department of Transportation (BDOT) wants to characterize the city-data.com source data in less drastic terms. BDOT Director James Fowler said that while it is not surprising that some of Birmingham’s most high-volume roadways are included in that list, some experts would avoid labeling a particular road “dangerous.”