The Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections in Portland, Oregon (2026 Update)

Portland's streets carry hundreds of thousands of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians each day. However, the risk is not spread evenly throughout our city. Year after year, the same handful of corridors and intersections see a large number of vehicle crashes, and a disproportionate share of injuries and deaths. This blog explores the top ten most dangerous roads and intersections in Portland.

Knowing the intersections where accidents are more likely to occur can help you drive defensively, plan a safer commute, and perhaps even decrease the likelihood of being involved in a motor vehicle accident of your own. By traveling more carefully on these dangerous roads, Portland drivers can help keep themselves, and their fellow Portlanders, safe.

To speak with a Portland car accident lawyer about your legal options after a car accident, call Eder Sturm Eder: (503) 227-4601.

What Makes Some Roads More Dangerous

Portland's traffic fatality numbers have climbed sharply over the past several years, with 2023 producing the highest annual death toll the city has recorded in roughly three decades. Most of those deaths were not random. PBOT's Vision Zero reveals that just 8 percent of Portland's street miles account for around 62 percent of traffic fatalities.

Intersections

Portland’s High Crash Network: 30 streets and 30 intersections that concentrate the most serious collisions.

We see similar factors with the most dangerous intersections in Portland:

• Most have wide, multi-lane arterials that encourage higher speeds
• It is not uncommon for these roads to have long distances between marked crosswalks, which pushes pedestrians to jaywalk
• Roads along major commuter routes have limited or aging bike infrastructure
• All have heavy mixed-use traffic where drivers, cyclists, and walkers converge
• Bad visibility from poor lighting occurs in many dangerous stretches of East Portland

Portland's Top 10 Most Dangerous Intersections

Our 2026 update draws on data from the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Federal Highway Administration statistics and the City of Portland’s regional safety reporting to identify the streets and intersections where Portlanders are most likely to be hurt.

Based on the most recent five-year analysis of total crashes, injury rates, and fatalities, these ten intersections carry the highest documented risk in the city:

Intersections Data

Southeast 122nd Avenue alone shows up in four of the top ten slots, making it arguably Portland's single most dangerous north-south corridor.

If you were hit at one of these locations, do not assume the police report tells the whole story. Crash patterns at known high-risk intersections can be powerful evidence in a personal injury claim, especially when a driver argues a collision was a one-off accident.

If you were hurt at one of these intersections, call Eder Sturm Eder at (503) 227-4601.

Portland's Most Dangerous Streets (Corridors)

While intersection data points to specific failure points, looking at full corridors reveals which streets are dangerous along most of their length. The following Portland streets contain the highest number of High Crash Network intersections:

• SE Powell Boulevard (7 high-crash intersections). Powell is consistently the deadliest corridor in the city, combining freeway-style speeds with frequent pedestrian crossings and ODOT-managed segments.
• SE Holgate Boulevard (4 high-crash intersections)
• NE Glisan Street (4 high-crash intersections)
• SE Stark Street (3 high-crash intersections)
• NE Sandy Boulevard (3 high-crash intersections)
• SE Division Street (3 high-crash intersections)
• SE 122nd Avenue and NE 82nd Avenue stand out as the two most dangerous north-south routes, with multiple top-ranked intersections each.

More than half of all High Crash Network intersections (16 of 30) sit in Southeast Portland. Northeast Portland is the next-highest concentration, while the West Side, downtown core, and inner Northeast see proportionally fewer severe crashes.

East Portland: A Disproportionate Risk Zone

All of the most dangerous intersections in Portland are on the east side of the city (east of the Willamette River). Although it makes up a smaller share of the city's overall population, it accounts for an outsized share of fatal crashes. The pedestrian death rate per 100,000 residents in East Portland has been measured at roughly 15, compared with 9 in the rest of the city.

East Portland sees more pedestrian and cyclist traffic, as well as wider streets, faster traffic, fewer marked crossings, and more inconsistent lighting in many parts. If you live, work, or commute east of 82nd Avenue, the risk profile of your daily drive is different from someone making the same trip in the West Hills or the Pearl District.

That risk extends to bicyclists and pedestrians especially. Our bicycle accident lawyers and pedestrian accident attorneys handle a steady volume of cases from these corridors. For help with your personal injury claim, call us today: (503) 227-4601.

Who Is Most at Risk on the Road?

The crash data tells a clear story about vulnerability:

Pedestrians

Walkers are at a heightened risk of injury or fatality on Portland’s streets. Although walking accounts for only about 6 percent of Portland commuting, pedestrians made up about 40 percent of all traffic fatalities between 2018 and 2022. Roughly 70 percent of pedestrian deaths and serious injuries happen when a driver going straight strikes a person crossing the street, and another 20 percent involve drivers turning into pedestrians, with left-turning drivers causing the larger share.

Cyclists

Portland’s famously large population of cyclists face similar patterns. Around 53 percent of cyclist fatalities and serious injuries involve a driver going straight, and another 45 percent involve turning drivers, with right-turning drivers responsible for the slightly larger portion.

Drivers and passengers

Vehicles still account for the majority of total crashes, especially on Powell Boulevard and the I-84 ramp areas, where high speeds combine with merging traffic to produce some of the most severe injuries. Motor vehicle accidents are more common in intersections, in areas with mixed-use traffic, and in places where streets are poorly lit.

What to Do If You Were Injured on One of These Roads

If you were hurt in a crash on Powell, Division, Stark, Glisan, 82nd, 122nd, or any other high-risk Portland corridor, we recommend taking the following steps. Taking care of yourself, documenting your injuries and expenses, and seeing legal counsel can make a massive difference in your claim value.

1. Get medical care immediately, even if injuries seem minor. Concussions, soft-tissue injuries, and internal trauma often present hours or days later. Insurance adjusters will use any gap in care to argue that your injuries are not serious.
2. Document everything. Photograph the scene, your vehicle, and your injuries. Get contact information for every witness. The more information you have, the simpler it will be to resolve your claim for its full value.
3. Report the crash to the police and to your own insurance company. In Oregon, you must file a DMV crash report if injuries or property damage exceed certain thresholds. It is the driver’s responsibility to file the Accident Report form. If police arrived at the scene, the police will do an Exchange of Information form. This does not obviate the need for the driver to file her/his own Accident Report form with the Oregon DMV. 735-32 is a link to the Oregon DMV website. . Talk to an attorney at Eder Sturm Eder to learn more.
4. Be careful with insurance adjusters. The at-fault driver's insurer is not on your side, and recorded statements made early in the process can be used to reduce or deny your claim. Never admit fault, and do not volunteer information without legal counsel.
5. Talk to a lawyer before you sign anything. Oregon's two-year statute of limitations sounds like plenty of time, but evidence disappears quickly and early settlement offers are almost always low. Our team is here to help!

Eder Sturm Eder has been representing injured Portlanders for nearly four decades, and our team handles the full range of crash-related claims, including car accidents and motor vehicle collisions, pedestrian accidents, rideshare accidents, bicycle collisions, and wrongful death cases. We work on contingency, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Need help after a crash? Call (503) 227-4601, or request a free consultation online to talk through your case with a Portland personal injury attorney.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dangerous Portland Intersections

What is the most dangerous intersection in Portland?

Based on the most recent five-year crash analysis, SE Division Street and SE 122nd Avenue is the single most dangerous intersection in Portland, with 99 documented crashes, 91 injuries, and one fatality. SE Stark Street and SE 122nd Avenue ranks second, with two fatalities. SE 122nd Avenue itself appears in four of the top ten most dangerous intersections in the city, making it the deadliest north-south corridor in Portland.

What is Portland's High Crash Network?

The High Crash Network is PBOT's official designation for the 30 streets and 30 intersections in Portland with the highest concentration of serious crashes. Although these locations make up only about 8 percent of the city's street miles, they account for roughly 62 percent of all traffic deaths. The designation drives where Portland and ODOT prioritize safety investments, including signal upgrades, lower speed limits, pedestrian islands, and protected bike infrastructure.

Why are East Portland streets more dangerous?

Several factors compound risk in both Northeast and Southeast Portland. The arterials there were originally designed as semi-rural through-routes, and never fully retrofitted for dense urban use. This leaves wide lanes that encourage speeding, long gaps between marked crosswalks, and inconsistent sidewalks and lighting, particularly on the streets mentioned above.

Who is liable for crashes on dangerous roads in Portland: the city or state?

This will depend on the specifics of the crash and the determined liability, if any, that any government entities bear. While most crashes result from driver negligence, Oregon law does allow claims against public entities when a roadway defect, missing signage, or known dangerous design contributed to a crash. These claims involve strict notice requirements, often as short as 180 days, and they require careful investigation.

If a government entity was responsible for your accident, call us as soon as possible to preserve the integrity of your claim.

How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Oregon?

Oregon's statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two (2) years from the date of the injury. Wrongful death claims must be filed within three (3) years, with some exceptions. If a government entity is potentially responsible, the tort claim notice deadline is much shorter, often six months. Because evidence at busy intersections can be paved over, replaced, or lost within weeks, it is best to consult an attorney as soon as possible after a crash.

What kind of compensation can I recover after a crash on a Portland road?

Depending on the facts of your case, an injury claim can include compensation for medical bills (past and future), lost wages and lost earning capacity, vehicle repair or replacement, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and in some cases punitive damages, particularly when the at-fault driver was impaired. Oregon's dram shop laws may also allow you to pursue claims against bars or social hosts who over-served a drunk driver who later caused your crash.

Injured? Call Eder Sturm Eder, Portland Personal Injury Attorneys

If you or someone you love was hurt on Powell, Division, Stark, 82nd, 122nd, or anywhere else in the Portland metro area, you do not have to navigate the insurance process alone. Eder Sturm Eder has helped more than 15,000 clients recover compensation after serious crashes in Oregon and Washington. Consultations are always free.

Contact Eder Sturm Eder for a free, confidential case review. You pay nothing unless we win.