Is Montana Home to One of the Deadliest Roads in America?
The answer to this question should be no surprise. Of course Montana is home to one of the top 10 deadliest roads in America. Montana is still wild and untamed compared to most of the United States.
According to World Health Organization, the United States is much more dangerous than most European countries. The death rate in the United States is 11 people per 100,000, which is triple that of death rates in the United Kingdom.
Arizona, South Carolina, Colorado, Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Indiana, Ohio and Nevada share the title of having the deadliest roads in America with Montana. The stretches of road run from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, Fort Wayne to Toledo, and Fairbanks to the North Slope.
Not only is Montana home to one of the top 10 deadliest roads, Montana is home to the stretch of road with the highest fatality rate. Highway 2 is Montana’s deadliest road.It runs from the North Dakota border to the Idaho border and is mostly flat with a few scattered hills and quite a few curves. A large contributing factor to this being the deadliest road is that parts of this highway are long rural stretches of road, which can take ambulances up to 80 minutes to respond. People also drive faster on Highway 2 because there is little traffic.
I am also willing to bet that intoxicated driving and wildlife may be a few more contributing factors to Highway 2’s fatality rates.
I’m not surprised that Montana made the top of this list. Being a driver in this state, I know these roads and how treacherous they can be. The danger can come from the weather, other drivers, animals or just the road itself. Not every state has to deal with tornadoes, blizzards, drunk drivers and grizzly bears.
Montana has many great things to offer. We have numerous parks and tons of outdoor activities that require traveling on our roads. It is important to remember to always drive safely, whether it be on infamous Highway 2, or any of Montana’s other roads.
Joy Larson is a mother of four boys, graduate of the University of Montana, animal lover and writer.