Two Memphis intersections have landed on a list of the riskiest roads in the United States. Lyxt, a company providing video telematics, data and analytics for commercial and public sector fleets, released a list of the top 10 intersections with the highest observed driver cell phone use, and two within the Memphis city limits made the list. Lytx provides dash camera technology to commercial trucks and 18-wheeler fleets. In 2018, the company identified over 1.3 million instances of cell phone use within trucks who used the technology.
The two Memphis intersections on the list are Compress Drive and S. Lauderdale Street (area code 38016), and E. Holmes Road and Lamar Avenue (area code 38118). Compress and Lauderdale ranked number 1 on their list of riskiest roads in the United States. This intersection is close to a FedEx Ground Hub, located at 555 Compress Drive, Memphis, TN 38106, meaning lots of commercial vehicles enter this area on a daily basis. Holmes and Lamar ranked number 4 on the list. This section is also known to Memphians as a high-traffic area.
According to Lytx, drivers who use handheld cell phones while behind the wheel are approximately 50% more likely to be involved in an accident compared to drivers who do not. Lyxt’s data appears in line with data collected by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA): cell phone use and texting while driving significantly increase the odds of a collision. Per federal regulators, the odds of being involved in an accident, unintended lane change, or near-crash are 23.2 times higher for commercial drivers who text while driving. When reading or sending a text, drivers tend to take their eyes off the road for around 4.6 seconds – which can equate to driving the length of a football field at 55 miles per hour.