Glendale ranks 60 out of 62 in its peer group on the California Office of Traffic Safety composite crash ranking, and ranks 2 out of 62 for crashes involving pedestrians 65 and older. We pulled the latest SWITRS data, the Glendale Police Department traffic collision logs, and the OTS rankings to identify the 10 most dangerous intersections in Glendale for 2026. Here is what the data shows.
For Press and Researchers
This data study is free to cite. The Glendale crash data set is published under Creative Commons BY 4.0 (cite as "Noble Attorneys, Glendale Dangerous Intersections 2026"). For comment, raw data files, or maps, contact Noble Attorneys or call (747) 777-5977. Michael Chakrian is available for interview in English, Armenian, and Spanish.
The Top 10 Most Dangerous Intersections in Glendale
Ranked by total reported collisions in the latest fully reconciled SWITRS year, with severity tiebreakers applied for ties. Crash counts reflect police-reported collisions only; unreported crashes are not captured.
| Rank | Intersection | Reported Crashes | Area | What the Data Shows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado Street and Brand Boulevard | 59 | Downtown Glendale | The signal that breaks the most. Heavy left-turn, pedestrian, and rideshare conflict near the Galleria and the Americana. |
| 2 | Glendale Avenue and Wilson Avenue | 58 | Central Glendale | Mid-block left turns and lane-change collisions. Approach to Adventist Health Glendale trauma center. |
| 3 | Glendale Avenue and Chevy Chase Drive | 53 | South Glendale | Approach to State Route 134 onramps. Stacking traffic in the evening commute. |
| 4 | Glendale Avenue and Broadway | 47 | Central Glendale | Beeline bus volume meets surface freight. T-bone and rear-end pattern. |
| 5 | Brand Boulevard and Sanchez Drive | 34 | Downtown Retail Core | Restaurant district, late-night DUI and pedestrian risk. |
| 6 | Brand Boulevard and Goode Avenue | 33 | Downtown / Americana | Highest pedestrian volume in Glendale. Crosswalk and right-on-red conflicts dominate. |
| 7 | Pacific Avenue and Glenoaks Boulevard | 31 | West Glendale | Major rear-end corridor. Speeding citations cluster here. |
| 8 | Central Avenue and Lexington Drive | 28 | City Center | Garage-exit and uncontrolled-driveway collisions near the Glendale Galleria. |
| 9 | Verdugo Road and Mountain Street | 26 | Verdugo Woodlands | Foothill grade changes, evening sun glare, motorcycle and single-vehicle pattern. |
| 10 | San Fernando Road and Western Avenue | 24 | Tropico | Rail-grade approach. Truck and commercial-vehicle involvement above the citywide average. |
What the Data Shows About Glendale
Brand Boulevard Is the Most Dangerous Corridor in the City
Three of the top six intersections sit on Brand Boulevard: Colorado at Brand, Brand at Sanchez, and Brand at Goode. The corridor runs through Glendale's commercial heart, past the Galleria, the Americana at Brand, restaurant rows, and the Brand Library. Heavy pedestrian volume, rideshare pickup zones, and late-evening alcohol-involved driving combine to make Brand the city's most consistent crash producer. If you were hit walking on Brand, see our Glendale Pedestrian Accident Lawyer page for the legal framework under California Vehicle Code section 21950.
Glendale Avenue Appears Three Times in the Top Four
Glendale Avenue is the parallel north-south arterial to Brand. It carries Beeline bus volume, surface freight to Tropico industrial users, and approach traffic to the State Route 134 freeway. The Wilson, Chevy Chase, and Broadway intersections each appear in the top four. Mid-block left turns and signal-cycle violations dominate the collision reports. T-bone collisions in particular are a Glendale Avenue pattern; the legal framework under California Vehicle Code sections 21451 and 21453 is laid out on our Glendale T-Bone Intersection Accident Lawyer page.
The OTS Ranking Tells a Population-Adjusted Story
Raw crash counts favor large cities. The California Office of Traffic Safety adjusts for population and vehicle miles traveled, then ranks each city against a population peer group. Glendale's most recent OTS results:
- Pedestrians 65 and older: 2 out of 62. Glendale is one of the two worst cities in California for older pedestrians.
- Composite ranking: 60 out of 62. Across all categories combined, Glendale ranks near the bottom of its peer group.
- Bicycle crashes: 49 out of 62. Moderate, but trending worse as e-bike adoption grows. See Glendale E-Bike Accident Lawyer for the CVC 312.5 class framework.
- Alcohol-involved crashes: 62 out of 62. Lowest-ranked (best) in its group, but still produced more than two dozen DUI-related injury crashes in the most recent reported year.
The Freeway Pinch Point: I-5 / SR-2
While our top-10 ranking focuses on surface intersections, the Interstate 5 and State Route 2 Glendale Freeway interchange is the highest-volume freeway crash location in Glendale. High-speed rear-end and merge-side-swipe crashes dominate. Multi-vehicle pileups are not rare. The relevant legal framework, including Proposition 51 several liability and California's eggshell plaintiff rule, is covered on our Glendale Multi-Vehicle Pileup Lawyer page.
What Glendale Drivers Can Do
- If you regularly cross Brand or Glendale Avenue on foot, use signalized crosswalks and verify both directions before stepping off the curb, even with a walk signal.
- If you commute through the I-5/SR-2 interchange, increase your following distance during evening rush. Most rear-end crashes there happen at speeds where braking is the only available defense.
- If you are an older Glendale resident, the OTS data strongly supports daytime crossings on Brand and avoiding right-on-red conflicts at the Americana.
- If you are a rideshare driver, the pickup zones around the Americana and the Galleria are documented conflict zones. Pull fully out of the travel lane before passenger pickup or drop.
Methodology
- Crash counts pulled from California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) via the UC Berkeley Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) for the most recent fully reconciled year.
- Cross-referenced against Glendale Police Department traffic collision reports obtained through Public Records Act requests.
- Office of Traffic Safety annual rankings used to position Glendale against its 62-city population peer group.
- Intersections ranked by total reported collisions, with severity weighted toward injury and fatal crashes when ties occurred.
- Pedestrian and rideshare incidents noted separately to surface vulnerable-road-user patterns.
Citations and Primary Sources
- California SWITRS via TIMS Berkeley
- California Office of Traffic Safety Rankings
- California Highway Patrol SWITRS Portal
- Glendale Police Department Traffic Bureau
- California Vehicle Code (Codes of California)
Why Noble Attorneys Published This
About forty percent of our practice is auto, motorcycle, pedestrian, and bicycle collisions in the Greater Los Angeles area, and Glendale is our home city. We pull this data the day we open a file because the intersection's history is evidence: prior collision reports support liability arguments against the city, Caltrans, and at-fault drivers. We published the citywide ranking so that Glendale residents, the press, and the city itself can see the same picture we see when we sit down with a new client.
If you were injured at any of these intersections, our Glendale Car Accident Lawyer hub page is the deepest resource we maintain. The first call is free, the first conversation is in your language (English, Armenian, Spanish, Farsi), and we do not charge a fee unless we win.