This IL Highway Among Deadliest In U.S.: Study

CHICAGO — One of Cook County's busiest highways ranks among the deadliest stretches of road in the country, according to a new study.

I-94 in Cook County placed fourth nationally, with 52 fatal crashes recorded during the three-year study period.

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That made it the highest-ranking highway stretch in Illinois and the highest-ranking Midwestern route on the list compiled by FLBR Motorsport using fatal crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

Only three highway-and-county combinations ranked higher: I-15 in San Bernardino County, California, with 80 fatal crashes; I-10 in Maricopa County, Arizona, with 57; and I-10 in Riverside County, California, with 54.

The study found five Illinois entries in the national top 100, all in Cook County:

• No. 4 — I-94, Cook County: 52 fatal crashes
• Tied for No. 41 — I-57, Cook County: 26 fatal crashes
• Tied for No. 53 — I-290, Cook County: 24 fatal crashes
• Tied for No. 89 — I-294, Cook County: 21 fatal crashes
• Tied for No. 89 — I-90, Cook County: 21 fatal crashes

The rankings come as traffic deaths are declining nationally.

An estimated 36,640 people died in U.S. traffic crashes in 2025, down 6.7 percent from 39,254 deaths in 2024. The national traffic fatality rate also fell to about 1.10 deaths for every 100 million miles driven.

The decline continued during the first three months of 2026, when an estimated 7,770 people were killed in traffic crashes, 4.3 percent fewer than during the same period in 2025.

Still, the study found that certain highway corridors continued to account for a high number of fatal crashes.

The deadliest stretch nationally was I-15 in San Bernardino County, California, where 80 fatal crashes were recorded. The total was 23 higher than the second-ranked stretch.

I-10 appeared several times near the top of the list, including Maricopa County, Arizona; Riverside County, California; and Orleans Parish, Louisiana.

Other top-10 entries included US-60 in Maricopa County, I-5 in San Diego County, I-5 in King County, Washington, and US-61 in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.

How The Study Was Conducted

FLBR Motorsport said it analyzed nationwide fatal crash records from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

Each fatal collision was assigned to the interstate, U.S. highway or state route where it occurred, and the routes were then ranked by the number of fatal crashes recorded within each county over the three-year study period.