The Most Dangerous Intersections in the Syracuse Area

Syracuse sits at one of the most complex highway interchanges in Upstate New York — and the crash data reflects it. Over three years, more than 57,500 crashes were recorded across Onondaga, Oswego, Cayuga, and Madison counties, a region where interstate highways converge with dense urban streets and rural two-lane roads.

Using three years of crash records from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, we analyzed every reported collision in the region to identify the intersections, patterns, and conditions that pose the greatest risk. Our findings are based on a weighted Danger Score that accounts for severity — not just volume — so the rankings reflect where crashes are most likely to hurt or kill someone, not simply where crashes occur most often.

Between 2021 and 2023, total crashes fell 3.5%. The number of people injured fell 9.4%. Fatalities fell 22.4%. Behind each of those numbers is a person, a family, a life interrupted.

How We Ranked the Intersections

Raw crash counts alone are a poor measure of danger. An intersection with dozens of minor fender-benders may be less dangerous in any meaningful sense than one where a handful of crashes each year leave people seriously hurt. To account for this, we developed a weighted Danger Score that assigns greater weight to more severe outcomes.

The 15 Most Dangerous Intersections

Carrier Circle — the rotary interchange where I-481, I-690, and several state routes meet in DeWitt — earns its #1 ranking through sheer volume. With 187 crashes over three years, it averages a collision roughly every six days. Its relatively low injury rate of 17% reflects the moderate speeds of merging traffic, but that volume makes it the region's most consistent danger zone.

Erie Blvd E stands out as the region's most dangerous corridor, appearing in 4 of the fifteen highest-ranked intersections. That concentration of crash risk along a single road is a pattern that deserves particular attention from anyone who travels it regularly.

Among the highest-severity locations is James St & N Salina St in Syracuse, where 56.1% of crashes — nearly 60% — result in injury or worse. That places it among the most reliably dangerous intersections per crash event in the entire region.

Explore the Map

Each pin represents one of the fifteen most dangerous intersections in the region. Pin color reflects danger level — darker indicates a higher Danger Score. Click any pin to see the full crash statistics for that location.

When Crashes Are Most Likely to Happen

The patterns in the crash data reveal consistent windows of elevated risk — by month, by day, and by hour.

Dec, Nov, and Oct are the three highest-crash months in the Syracuse area. Apr is consistently the safest. The winter and late-fall surge reflects a combination of shorter days, holiday traffic, and more challenging driving conditions — though it is worth noting that the vast majority of crashes (67.1%) occur on dry pavement, not snow or ice.

Friday sees more crashes than any other day of the week in this region. The afternoon rush hour — particularly between 3 and 6 PM — produces the highest crash volumes, with the 5 PM hour accounting for 4,672 crashes over the three-year study period. But volume does not tell the whole story: the 5 PM hour recorded 18 fatalities — a disproportionate toll that reflects the increased danger of driving later in the evening, when fatigue, reduced visibility, and impaired driving become more prevalent.

What Is Causing These Crashes

The 2023 crash dataset includes contributing factor data that identifies the human behaviors behind most collisions. The picture is consistent: crashes in the Syracuse area are overwhelmingly caused by choices made behind the wheel, not unavoidable circumstances.

Animals Action was the leading crash factor in 2023, contributing to 2,647 crashes. Following too Closely was second (1,976 crashes). These are not freak accidents or mechanical failures — they are the result of drivers failing to pay attention, maintain a safe following distance, or yield when required by law. Every one of these crashes was preventable.

Speeding deserves particular attention. Unsafe speed contributed to 1,362 crashes in 2023, producing 7 fatalities — a fatality rate of 0.5%, far above the regional average. Speed does not just cause more crashes; it makes the crashes that do occur dramatically more deadly.

The data also reveals the hidden risk of driving after dark on unlit roads. Crashes on dark, unlighted roads have a fatality rate of 0.52% — compared to 0.22% in daylight, that is 2.4× more likely to prove fatal. Despite accounting for a fraction of all crashes, nighttime collisions on unlit roads punch far above their weight in fatal outcomes.

The Trend: What Has Changed From 2021 to 2023

From 2021 to 2023, total crashes in the Syracuse area fell 3.5%. Injuries fell 9.4%. Fatalities fell 22.4% — a change that represents real people who did not make it home. Understanding which direction these numbers move in the coming years will require continued monitoring of crash data as it becomes available.

If You Were Injured at One of These Intersections

Onondaga County accounts for the vast majority of crashes in the region, but Oswego and Cayuga counties contribute disproportionate fatality numbers given their smaller populations — a pattern consistent with higher-speed rural and suburban roads. The intersections in this report are not abstractions — every crash in our dataset represents a person whose life was disrupted in an instant by another driver's negligence.

When a crash is caused by another driver's inattention, failure to yield, or reckless speed, you may have the right to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. The law is on your side — but navigating the claims process alone, while recovering from injury, can be overwhelming.

About This Report

This analysis is based on motor vehicle crash records published by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles for the years 2021, 2022, and 2023. The dataset covers all reported crashes across Onondaga, Oswego, Cayuga, Madison counties.

Intersection rankings use a weighted Danger Score (fatalities × 10 + serious injuries × 5 + other injuries × 3 + property-damage-only crashes × 1) applied to all crashes flagged as occurring at or near a named intersection with a valid intersection identifier and a minimum of three crashes over the study period. All data is drawn from official government records; 1-800-LAW-1010 has not modified any underlying crash data.

This report is intended for informational and public safety purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle crash, consult a qualified attorney about your specific situation.