Northern California is known for its scenic roads filled with travelers scouting out the beautiful terrain. But those travelers must understand that they must drive safely, pay attention and focus on defensive driving.
Otherwise, they may be in store for a serious road collision that leads to severe or even fatal injuries. This brings out this question: What are some of the worst roads for accidents in the Sacramento area and Northern California?
Interstates 5 and 80
One of the state’s deadliest is right in Sacramento, according to the website MoneyGeek. Its researchers analyzed data from 11% of the state’s roads from 2017 to 2019 as supplied by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
That road is represented by the first bullet point regarding some of the most dangerous in Northern California:
- A five-mile stretch on Interstate 5 in Sacramento: This road from Del Paso Road to Railyards Boulevard is considered one of the state’s deadliest. During that three-year period, according to the MoneyGeek study, 13 fatal accidents occurred on that stretch, leading to 16 deaths.
- Interstate 80 from Sacramento to the Nevada border: Widely used by travelers, this road becomes dangerous in the winter with wet, icy and snowy conditions. The highway begins in San Francisco, traveling northeast to Donner Summit. The stretch through the Sierra Nevada mountain range can be especially problematic in winter.
- A 10-mile stretch of State Route 299 in Shasta County and northwest of Redding. From Whiskeytown Lake to Buckhorn Summit, this road provides plenty of challenges for drivers, some of whom skirt the speeding law and wind up causing serious crashes.
- A 12-mile stretch of State Route 70 in Yuba County: The area from Cox Lane to Silva Avenue includes a combination of slow and fast traffic. Traffic may include slow-moving farm equipment. Inattentive drivers, sometimes, crash into them from behind.
Please remain alert. Contributing factors to many accidents in the region include speeding, driving too fast for conditions, inattentiveness, drunk driving and the omnipresence of big-rig trucks.
Road awareness is essential
Nearly any road in Sacramento and Northern California may provide hazards for drivers. Just be aware that dangers exist in certain areas often attributed to excessive traffic, dangerous drivers and weather conditions.