This stretch of Phoenix highway among most dangerous roads in U.S.

Arizona drivers all have hot takes on which Valley freeway is the worst. Maybe you hate the constant construction and traffic of Interstate 10, or maybe the “Mad Max”-like driving down Interstate 17 isn’t your thing. 

While there’s arguably no wrong answer — except for maybe the Loop 202 — a recent study by Allstate revealed there’s absolutely a correct one.

In the study, Allstate analyzed the driver behavior across the 50 most populous cities to identify the 10 riskiest road segments. The analysis included road segments with at least 1,000 trips with the highest rates of hard braking and speeding, which are considered two key indicators of aggressive driving, according to Allstate’s Drivewise data. 

Only one segment of Arizona road made the list — I-17, specifically the 223B exit to transfer onto State Route 74, also known as the Carefree Highway. That snippet of highway ranked as the sixth-riskiest in the nation, trailing highways in Pittsburgh, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Atlanta and San Diego. 

The risky area I-17 is a six-lane stretch of the highway with an exit that directs drivers to connect to Carefree Highway and Wickenburg. The 223B exit follows the I-17 for a while before ducking under an overpass, where drivers must merge onto SR-74 toward Wickenburg.

The insurance company study found that the road was the riskiest basically all weekend, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The safest time was, ironically, rush hour from 3-7 p.m. on weekdays, possibly because there’s too much traffic to really speed.

The 17 has long been the subject of disdain from Valley drivers. It is one of the least favorite freeways of Phoenix redditors, who criticized the freeway for its “narrow lanes, torn up roads, crazy drives.” Another redditor said, “That highway has terrified me since birth.” 

According to the Maricopa Association of Governments, the section of I-17 that passes through the Valley consistently has the third-most crashes out of the eight Maricopa County freeway systems. Between 2007 and 2024, there were between 4,000 and 3,000 crashes along I-17 each year. 

So, the next time you want to drive up to Lake Pleasant Regional Park or get off at the Wickenburg exit, consider taking surface roads — or just keep your head on a swivel.