According to a comprehensive report by AZ Law Now, which analyzed federal crash data spanning 25 years (2000 to 2024), Indian School Road in West Phoenix (specifically through the Maryvale and Alhambra neighborhoods) is the deadliest corridor for pedestrians in the entire state.

  • Over the 25-year period, vehicles struck and killed 118 pedestrians on this street alone.
  • Experts identified the 12 deadliest half-mile road segments across Arizona—5 of them are located on Indian School Road, clustered within just a single square mile.
  • The reckless driving environment was recently highlighted by a June 2026 incident where a drunk driver traveling at 96 mph (more than double the speed limit) ran a red light at Indian School Road and 27th Avenue, striking a pedestrian and ramming seven cars, resulting in another driver's death.

State and City-Wide Statistics

Arizona's pedestrian fatality rate is nearly double the national average, painting a grim picture of road safety in the state.

  • Over 25 years, 4,409 pedestrians lost their lives, accounting for one out of every six traffic fatalities in Arizona.
  • Nearly 60% of these deaths (2,598 cases) occurred within Maricopa County.
  • Phoenix is the absolute epicenter: The city accounts for 27.5% of all pedestrian deaths statewide—more than Tucson, Mesa, Tempe, and Glendale combined.
  • A Sharp Surge: In the early 2000s, pedestrian deaths averaged around 140 per year. However, numbers began skyrocketing in 2014, peaking at 297 deaths in 2022. The data shows an 85% increase in fatalities between the first and final five-year periods of the study.

Key Risk Factors and Patterns

The data revealed several distinct and troubling trends regarding how and when these fatal accidents occur:

  • Mid-Block Crossings: 71.9% of victims were struck mid-block, away from designated intersections or crosswalks (prompting the Phoenix City Council to recently increase fines for jaywalking).
  • In the Dark: Nearly two-thirds of all fatalities occurred at night. Ironically, twice as many people were killed on streets with working streetlights than on completely unlit roads.
  • Dangerous Hours: Roughly half of all fatal accidents take place during the evening window between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM.
  • Hit-and-Runs: Drivers fled the scene in approximately 25% of all fatal pedestrian crashes.
  • Vulnerable Demographics: Elderly residents aged 65 and older accounted for 18.1% of the total death toll.

The Bottom Line: The report concludes with a stark warning for West Phoenix residents: if you need to walk at night, Indian School Road is best avoided entirely, and recreational walking should be kept strictly to city parks.