New Hampshire Crash Hot Spots: The Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections

Where New Hampshire Traffic Deaths Happen

NHTSA’s early estimate puts New Hampshire’s 2025 road deaths at 136, up from 133 in 2024 and 127 the year before. Most of those deaths don’t happen in Manchester traffic or on the interstates. In 2024, 75 of the 133 people killed, or 56%, died on rural roads, and speeding and drunk driving each played a part in 39 deaths.

NHDOT’s 2022 to 2026 Strategic Highway Safety Plan says 70% of New Hampshire road deaths involve a vehicle leaving the roadway, the biggest share of any problem the plan tracks.

The New Hampshire Roads That Keep Showing Up in Crash Reports

A handful of New Hampshire roads turn up in crash coverage week after week. Here’s what makes each one tricky, with published figures wherever they exist.

1. Interstate 93: Salem to the Vermont Line

I-93 crosses in from Massachusetts at Salem and runs through Windham, Londonderry and Manchester to Concord, carrying commuters to Boston and most of the state’s ski and lake traffic. The widened stretch south of Manchester helps, but Friday and Sunday backups near Salem and the Hooksett tolls still set up rear-end crashes and sudden lane changes.

North of Concord the road gets quieter and faster, and that’s where troopers have focused. The New Hampshire State Police called the stretch from Boscawen to Plymouth, Exits 17 to 24, a hot spot for dangerous driving after counting 9 fatal crashes and more than 1,000 crashes there since 2019. I-89 splits off at Bow and heads northwest past New London to Lebanon and the Vermont line, and in winter its hills and open stretches get the same black ice and blowing snow.

2. U.S. Route 3 and the Everett Turnpike: Nashua to Pittsburg

U.S. 3 runs the whole length of the state, from Nashua through Merrimack, Manchester, Concord, Tilton, Laconia and Plymouth to Pittsburg near the Canadian border. NHDOT data shows more than 8,300 crashes on the corridor from 2018 to 2023, and the Office of Highway Safety named the areas near Concord, Hooksett, Bedford and Manchester, and Tilton as the worst.

Between Nashua and Bedford, the F.E. Everett Turnpike carries the through traffic. The Bedford toll plaza there had a history of serious and fatal crashes before the state switched to electronic tolling in 2026 and NHDOT started tearing the booths down that July. Up north, the stretch of U.S. 3 above Pittsburg is known as Moose Alley, and a moose in the headlights at dusk is a real danger there.

3. Route 101 and Route 101A: Nashua, Bedford and East to the Seacoast

Route 101A is Amherst Street in Nashua, a long commercial strip of plazas, driveways and turning traffic that runs west toward Merrimack and Milford. Angle crashes and rear-enders are the usual story there.

East of Bedford, Route 101 becomes the main expressway to the Seacoast, through Auburn, Candia, Raymond and Epping and past Exeter to Hampton. The divided four-lane stretch invites high speeds and late passing, and when rain or ice hits, chain-reaction crashes can close it for hours.

4. Route 125: Plaistow to Epping

Route 125 is the main north and south road through eastern Rockingham County, from the Massachusetts line at Plaistow through Kingston and Brentwood to Epping. Much of it is lined with shopping plazas, gas stations and side streets, so local trips and through traffic share the same road.

That mix means constant turning, braking and pulling out, which is how rear-end and angle crashes start, especially around the Plaistow and Epping retail areas.

5. The Seacoast: I-95, Route 1 and the Spaulding Turnpike

New Hampshire’s piece of I-95 is only about 16 miles, from Seabrook past Hampton to the Piscataqua River Bridge in Portsmouth, but it carries summer beach traffic and trucks headed for Maine. Route 1 runs alongside it as Lafayette Road through Seabrook, Hampton and North Hampton into Portsmouth, with traffic lights, curb cuts and pedestrians near the beaches.

The Spaulding Turnpike, Route 16, starts at the Portsmouth traffic circle and crosses the Little Bay Bridges into Dover, then heads on to Rochester. Merging near the Newington stores and the Dover exits is where many crashes happen.

6. Routes 3 and 11: Laconia and the Lakes Region

Around Lake Winnipesaukee, U.S. 3 and Route 11 carry lake traffic through Laconia, Gilford, Meredith and Alton. Every June, Laconia Motorcycle Week brings riders from all over the country to Laconia, and these roads fill with bikes, sightseers and impatient drivers at the same time.

NHTSA counted 33 motorcycle riders killed statewide in 2024, and 19 of the 35 motorcyclists killed that year weren’t wearing helmets. Give riders extra room on the curves along the lake.

7. Kancamagus Highway (Route 112): Lincoln to Conway

The Kancamagus runs about 34 miles through the White Mountain National Forest between Lincoln and Conway, climbing to more than 2,800 feet near Kancamagus Pass. There are no gas stations or services along the way, and cell service is spotty.

Sharp curves and steep grades meet heavy leaf-peeper traffic in the fall, when drivers brake suddenly for pullouts. In winter the road can ice over quickly, so take the hairpin turns on the climb from Lincoln slowly.

8. Routes 16 and 302 in the White Mountains

Route 16 runs north from Conway through North Conway, Jackson and Pinkham Notch to Gorham, and Route 302 splits off at Glen and heads west through Bartlett and Crawford Notch to Bretton Woods and Littleton. Both are two-lane mountain roads with hikers’ cars on the shoulders and moose after dark.

Two side roads deserve extra care. Hurricane Mountain Road out of North Conway is narrow and very steep, and it closes in winter. The Mount Washington Auto Road, a private toll road off Route 16 in Pinkham Notch, climbs to the 6,288-foot summit with steep grades, sharp drop-offs and fog, and downhill drivers have to use low gear to keep their brakes from overheating.

More High-Crash Locations Across New Hampshire

The highways aren’t the whole story. In 2025, the Governor’s Special Task Force on Highway Safety listed 13 state corridors for Safe Commute enforcement, along with each one’s crash count for 2017 to 2023. The counts cover whole corridors, so long roads rack up the biggest numbers.

On city streets, NHDOT’s 2023 safety assessment for people walking and biking found most of the state’s pedestrian high-injury hot spots in Hillsborough County, especially Manchester, with others in Concord, Laconia, Hooksett, Nashua and Goffstown.

At least one of these spots is getting work. At South Willow Street and Sheffield Road, Manchester’s aldermen approved making the stretch of Sheffield Road west of South Willow one-way, and NHDOT has weighed better sightlines and new signs for the intersection.

How to Stay Safe on New Hampshire’s Most Dangerous Roads

A few habits go a long way on these roads, whether you’re behind the wheel, on foot or on a bike.

For Drivers:

1. Stay on the road: Most New Hampshire crash deaths involve a car leaving the roadway. Slow down for curves on roads like the Kancamagus and Route 302, and keep your eyes up and your phone down.
2. Drop the speed in bad weather: Speeding played a part in 39 deaths in 2024. On I-93 north of Concord and I-89 through Sutton, ice and blowing snow can turn a normal speed into a dangerous one.
3. Watch for moose at dusk: On U.S. 3 above Pittsburg and Route 16 north of Conway, slow down after dark and use your high beams when no one’s coming.
4. Look twice for motorcycles: During Laconia Motorcycle Week and all summer on Routes 3 and 11, check mirrors and blind spots before every lane change or turn.
5. Be patient on the strips: Amherst Street in Nashua, South Willow Street in Manchester and Route 125 in Plaistow mean constant turning traffic. Leave room and expect cars to pull out.

For Pedestrians:

1. Cross at signals and crosswalks: On wide roads like Elm Street, South Willow Street and Amherst Street, crossing mid-block leaves drivers little time to react.
2. Make eye contact: Don’t assume a driver has seen you. Wait until the car has fully stopped before you step out.
3. Be visible at night: Many New Hampshire roads have no streetlights or sidewalks. Wear something bright and carry a light.

For Cyclists:

1. Use trails where you can: Rail trails and bike lanes keep you off busy roads. Where there aren’t any, ride as far right as is safe.
2. Be easy to see: Wear bright colors, run lights day and night, and use hand signals.
3. Watch intersections closely: Turning drivers often miss cyclists. Never assume a driver will yield.

General Tips:

1. Buckle up every trip: New Hampshire doesn’t require adults to wear seat belts, and NHDOT’s safety plan says more than half of the people killed in passenger vehicles weren’t belted.
2. Check the weather before heading north: Franconia and Pinkham notches can be far worse than Concord.
3. Check traffic before you go: The New England 511 service and navigation apps show crashes, closures and construction as they happen.

What to Do If You’re Injured in a New Hampshire Car Accident

A bad crash on I-93, Route 101 or the Spaulding Turnpike can leave you hurt and unsure what to do first. What you do in the first hours and days matters, for your health and for your wallet.

1. Call 911. Even if nobody seems badly hurt, get police to the scene. They’ll write the official crash report, which is what insurers go by. If anyone is seriously injured, ask for an ambulance.
2. Get checked out. Concussions and internal injuries don’t always show up right away. Go to the ER or urgent care, and follow up with your own doctor in the days after.
3. Document the scene if you can. If it’s safe, photograph the vehicles, the damage and the license plates, plus skid marks, signs, weather and road conditions. Get witnesses’ names and phone numbers, and swap insurance information with the other driver without admitting fault.
4. Be careful with adjusters. The other driver’s insurance company may call soon after the crash. You can politely decline a recorded statement until you have your crash report and understand your options.
5. Keep everything. Medical records, bills, repair estimates, missed work, and every letter or email from an insurer.

Who responds depends on where you crashed. State troopers patrol the interstates and turnpikes, and city and town police handle most local roads, but either way the officer files the report with the DMV in Concord. Our New Hampshire crash report guide explains how to order a copy.

Don’t want to deal with the DMV form, or not sure which department took the report? We can get a copy of your report for you at no cost.

New Hampshire Crash Hot Spot Questions

More New Hampshire Crash Guides

County accident news: Hillsborough County · Rockingham County · Merrimack County · Strafford County · Belknap County · Cheshire County · Grafton County · Carroll County

Nearby states: Massachusetts crash hot spots · Maine crash hot spots · Vermont crash hot spots

For the latest, crashes from around the state are posted in New Hampshire accident news and our recent accident alerts.