The Unluckiest Exit Number in Greenwich
- Apr 4
- 1 min read
Numbers don’t lie, but in Greenwich, some are starting to look unlucky. According to new data from the UConn Crash Data Repository, the first two months of 2026 saw 49 accidents involving 93 vehicles in our town. While the wrecks are scattered, one number keeps appearing on the police reports: Exit 5.
A Tale of Two Highways
The Greenwich Time recently highlighted that Exit 5 is the primary danger zone on both of our major arteries:
I-95 (Exit 5 - Riverside-Old Greenwich): This is the undisputed "Crash Capital" of Greenwich. In January and February, nearly half of all accidents in town occurred in the orbit of Exit 5, Route 1, and the Merritt. On I-95 specifically, Exit 5 accounted for 16% of all local wrecks this year.
The Merritt Parkway (Exit 5 - North Street): The "scenic" route isn't any safer. Nearly 20% of all January accidents happened on the Merritt, with the newly renumbered Exit 5 (formerly Exit 31) remaining a consistent hotspot for collisions.
The "Why" Behind the Wrecks
Experts point to the "Northbound Trap"—lanes south of Exit 5 on I-95 are statistically more prone to multi-vehicle pileups. Interestingly, UConn’s data shows that weather was not a factor in many of these cases. It’s simply high volume meeting high speeds in a very tight space.
Between the Lines: If you see the sign for Exit 5 coming up on your GPS, hang up the phone, grip the wheel, and hold on to your focus—because in Riverside and Northeast Greenwich, the number 5 is officially the unluckiest on the map.