Mapping out the safest roads

Are the roads in your neighborhood safe? Would you want to know how many accidents have occurred near your home or on the roads you take everyday? A new tool from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Excellence in Rural Safety maps out America’s deadliest roads. The site, www.saferoadmaps.org uses Google maps integrated with statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) to provide the details on crashes and fatalities.

Check out the Consumer Reports Safety blog for more details on how the site works. I also chronicle my experience finding out if the roads near where I live and along my commute route are dangerous death traps or safe havens.

—Liza Barth