STERLING HEIGHTS, MI — A roundabout in Sterling Heights has been named Michigan’s most dangerous intersection for 2025 after recording 210 crashes, according to an annual ranking compiled by Michigan Auto Law. The firm said the roundabout at 18 1/2 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue saw the highest total among the 20 locations on its list.
The same spot had 162 crashes in 2024, meaning the total rose by 48 incidents year over year. Michigan Auto Law said the ranking is based on crashes that happened at or near intersections, roundabouts or highway ramps, using data collected through the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Reporting Unit.
How Michigan Auto Law builds its annual crash ranking
Michigan Auto Law said it compiles the list each year from crash reports gathered by the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Reporting Unit. That unit receives reports from local police and other law enforcement agencies across the state.
The firm’s purpose is not simply to sort locations by numbers. It said the list is meant to alert drivers to places where extra caution may be needed because collision risk is concentrated. The firm also noted that a crash does not always mean someone was hurt, but it does raise the chance of injury.
In 2025, the legal firm said 13 of the 20 locations on its ranking also appeared on its 2024 list. That overlap suggests many of the same corridors continue to produce significant crash totals from one year to the next.
Southeast Michigan dominates the 2025 list
Most of the intersections and roundabouts on the 2025 ranking are in Southeast Michigan. The list includes locations in Sterling Heights, Warren, Southfield, Farmington Hills, Commerce Township, St. Clair Shores, Ypsilanti, Redford Township, Bloomfield Township, Green Oak Township, Lathrup Village, Lyon Township, Shelby Township, Lincoln Park and Ann Arbor.
Several of the highest-crash spots are major connectors between busy roads, highways and commercial corridors. Examples include Telegraph Road at 12 Mile Road in Southfield, 11 Mile Road and I-696 in Warren, and Telegraph Road at Maple Road in Bloomfield Township.
Even beyond the Detroit metro area, the ranking shows busy roads in Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids making the top 20. That spread shows how traffic pressure is not limited to one county or one style of roadway.
The worst crash numbers came from major suburban traffic nodes
The Sterling Heights roundabout led the state with 210 crashes, followed by the Warren intersection of 11 Mile Road/I-696 and Van Dyke Avenue with 180 crashes. That Warren site also had 33 injuries and one fatality, making it one of the list’s most severe locations.
Southfield’s Telegraph Road and 12 Mile Road intersection ranked third with 121 crashes and 28 injuries. The roundabout at Orchard Lake Road and 14 Mile Road in Farmington Hills followed with 118 crashes, while the roundabout at Martin Parkway and North Pontiac Trail in Commerce Township recorded 107.
Michigan Auto Law’s totals show that high-volume suburban intersections and roundabouts continue to account for large numbers of crashes, especially where multiple lanes, turning movements and nearby ramps or commercial traffic create heavy congestion.
Several locations saw sharp year-over-year swings
While the Sterling Heights roundabout moved up sharply, some locations on the list recorded notable drops from 2024. Commerce Township’s Martin Parkway and North Pontiac Trail roundabout fell by 44 crashes, from 151 to 107. Redford Township’s Schoolcraft Road and Telegraph Road intersection dropped by 53 crashes, from 137 to 84.
By contrast, several other places showed increases. The Sterling Heights roundabout grew from 162 crashes to 210, while Telegraph Road and 12 Mile Road in Southfield increased by 15. The roundabout at State Road and West Ellsworth Road in Ann Arbor rose to 93 crashes, and the intersection of 12 Mile Road and I-94 in St. Clair Shores climbed to 86.
Those shifts suggest that crash patterns can change significantly from one year to the next, even when the same roads remain heavily used. The ranking also shows how quickly a location can move up or down depending on annual traffic and collision counts.
Injuries were reported at nearly every location on the list
Michigan Auto Law also included injury totals for most of the intersections. Bloomfield Township’s Telegraph Road and Maple Road had 83 crashes and 47 injuries, one of the highest injury counts on the list. Warren’s 11 Mile Road/I-696 and Van Dyke Avenue site had 33 injuries, while Southfield’s Telegraph Road and 12 Mile Road had 28 injuries.
Other notable injury totals included 23 injuries at Lathrup Village’s Southfield Road and 11 Mile Road intersection and 23 injuries at the Dix Avenue and M-39 intersection in Lincoln Park. Grand Rapids’ U.S. 131 and Wealthy Street site had 21 injuries, the same total reported for St. Clair Shores’ 12 Mile Road and I-94 intersection and Sterling Heights’ Metropolitan Parkway and Van Dyke Avenue intersection.
The firm emphasized that crashes do not always produce injuries, but the numbers show how often collisions at these locations are paired with medical harm. That is part of why the annual list draws attention from drivers and transportation watchers alike.
A statewide snapshot of where drivers face the most risk
The 2025 ranking ranges from a roundabout in Sterling Heights to an intersection in Grand Rapids, but the overall picture is familiar: Southeast Michigan continues to dominate the list. The top 20 includes multiple sites in Sterling Heights alone, along with repeat appearances from Warren, Commerce Township and other suburban communities.
For drivers, the rankings serve as a reminder that familiar roads can still carry elevated risk, especially where heavy traffic, highway access and turning movements converge. Michigan Auto Law said the list is intended to make motorists more cautious in those areas.
The full ranking highlights just how concentrated crash activity can be at a relatively small number of intersections, roundabouts and ramps across the state. It also shows that, year after year, many of the same busy corridors remain the most collision-prone in Michigan.