Michigan’s Deadliest Road Revealed By Study, One Near Grand Rapids

Everywhere you go, people will say their city or state has the worst drivers. LA is notorious for its traffic, while Michigan's roads are infamous for their poor condition (we don't have Michigan Pothole ice cream for nothing).

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But a recent study has shown it's not just in Michigan's head; Michigan's roads really are causing major problems for drivers, and now we know which three around the state are the deadliest. 

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This month, George Salinas Injury Lawyers conducted a study analyzing where poor road conditions in the U.S. cost drivers their lives, highlighting "where poor surfaces, work zones, and roadway defects contribute most heavily to fatal crashes" among other areas of research.

READ MORE: This Is Michigan’s Most Dangerous Road

Much of the data comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)'s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), which documents fatal crashes on public roads. This study covered 2020 to 2024. Here is what the lawyers at George Salinas discovered about Michigan.

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Michigan's Poor Road Results

According to the study, Michigan ranks highly in each major category, but high isn't good. Between 2020 and 2024, Michigan had:

• 111 work zone fatalities
• 1,100 fatalities as a result of poor road surface conditions
• 16 fatalities because of road defects (defects include maintenance- or construction-created conditions, errors in pavement markings, poor road-change warnings, washed-out surfaces, and more)
• A total of 1,207 fatalities were caused by these issues.
• They also found that 12.9% of roads are in poor condition, with I-94, I-75, and I-96 being the deadliest roads.

Only Texas has more fatalities than Michigan when it comes to road-condition deaths, but Michigan surprisingly doesn't crack the top 5 even with these numbers.

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Based on the George Sinas scoring, West Virginia ranks worst overall for the % of poor road conditions combined with fatalities, followed by Oregon, Montana, Washington, and Mississippi.

It's not a great look for Michigan's roads, but Michigan has seen major improvements in road repairs and upkeep over the last couple of years, largely due to increased funding.

READ MORE: Yes, Michigan Once Had Speed Limits That Changed After Dark

As recently as yesterday, Governor Whitmer followed through on a long-term, $2 billion annual investment that will keep roads in good condition as they deteriorate. Hopefully, this will improve Michigan's ranking over the coming years.