Statewide Texas Car Accident Statistics Infographic

Statewide Texas Car Accident Statistics

The Houston car accident attorneys of Fleming Law have vigorously represented victims of car accidents across the state of Texas for decades. We know that accidents happen every day on highways and roadways across the state – and that most of them could have been prevented if people had exercised more care and caution.

Because we are committed to protecting our friends and neighbors here in Houston and across Texas, we have created this helpful infographic to illustrate the number and types of accidents that commonly occur on our roadways.

It may come as a surprise that there has not been a single deathless day on Texas roads since November 7, 2000. Statistics show that one person is killed every 2 hours and 20 minutes, and one person is injured every 1 minute and 59 seconds. The total number of statewide crashes is 551,971.

When it comes to identifying the groups who are most at-risk for a fatal or injury crash, the figures show that drivers aged 18-34 are most likely to be involved in these types of collisions.  Of those who lost their lives in a fatal accident, the studies show that 43.71% of them were not wearing their seatbelt at the time of the crash.

City-Specific Accident Statistics in Texas

On the city-level, it is clear that Texas’s most-populated areas are also the locations of the majority of accidents. In fact, 76.29% of accidents occurred in urban areas, with the city of Houston leading the way with 12.8% of total collisions in the state. San Antonio was second, with 8.37% of total statewide crashes, and Dallas was third with 6.43%.

The leading contributing factors to urban-area collisions are:

• Speeding
• Inattention/distracted driving
• Failure to yield
• Following too closely
• Failure to drive in a single lane

Houston: The Most Dangerous City for Driving in Texas

The numbers show that Houston is by far the most dangerous city for driving in the state. Houston has the highest reported number of accidents at 67,241. There were more fatalities (245) and more incapacitating injury collisions (1,304) than in any other city in the state.

San Antonio and DUI Crashes

While Houston has more overall accidents and more injury and fatal crashes, there were more DUI crashes in San Antonio than any other city in Texas. Houston was second, followed by Austin, Dallas, and El Paso in this category.

Bexar County (where San Antonio sits) also reported the most distracted driving crashes with 26,305. Distracted driving is also a major factor in Harris County (Houston), Tarrant County (Fort Worth), Dallas County (Dallas), and Travis County (Austin).

Contact an Experienced Houston Car Accident Lawyer

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On Texas roads…

There Has Not Been A Deathless Day Since Nov. 7, 2000

• 1 person is killed every 2 hours and 20 minutes
• 1 person is injured every 1 minute and 59 seconds
• 1 reportable crash occurs every 57 seconds

Total Number Of Statewide Crashes

• 551,971

Most Common Causes Of Texas Car Accidents

• Speeding
• Driver inattention
• Failure to yield
• Unsafe lane change
• Following too closely

Age Range Of Drivers In Most Fatal And Injury Crashes

• 18-34

Drunk Driving Accidents

• Killed 987 people (26% percent of total number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes)

Percentage Of People Killed Who Were Not Wearing Seat Belts

• 43.71%

Increase In The Number Of Pedalcyclist Deaths From 2015 TO 2016

• 25%

Pedestrian Deaths

• Rose 21.4% from 2015

Notable City-Specific Facts

436,748

• Total number of car accidents in Texas cities and towns in 2016

76.29%

• Of Texas car crashes occurred in urban areas

72, 100

• Total number of fatalities and injuries in car accidents in urban areas

Leading Contributing Factors For Accidents In Urban Areas

• Speeding
• Inattention
• Failure to drive in a single lane
• Failure to yield
• Following too closely

Top 5 Cities With The Most Crashes

1. Houston (12.18% of total Texas crashes; 15.39% of total crashes in cities and towns)
2. San Antonio (8.37% of total Texas crashes; 10.57% of total crashes in cities and towns)
3. Dallas (6.42% of total Texas crashes; 8.11% of total crashes in cities and towns)
4. El Paso (3.11% of total Texas crashes; 3.93% of total crashes in cities and towns)
5. Fort Worth (2.98% of total Texas crashes; 3.76% of total crashes in cities and towns)

Houston Is The Most Dangerous City For Driving

• Highest number of traffic accidents (67,241)
• Most fatalities (245)
• Most incapacitating injury crashes (1,304)

San Antonio

• Highest number of DUI crashes (1,845)

By The Numbers By Major Texas Cities

Houston

• 67,241 total crashes
• 245 fatalities
• 1,304 incapacitating injuries

San Antonio

• 46,175 total crashes
• 189 fatalities
• 923 incapacitating injuries

Dallas

• 35,433 total crashes
• 192 fatalities
• 1,137 incapacitating injuries

El Paso

• 17,172 total crashes
• 65 deaths
• 233 incapacitating injuries

Fort Worth

• 16,442 total crashes
• 84 deaths
• 659 incapacitating injuries

Austin

• 15,814 total crashes
• 80 deaths
• 529 injuries

Additional Rankings (*Some redundancies due to the facts listed above*)

Top 5 Cities With The Most Fatalities

1. Houston
2. Dallas
3. San Antonio
4. Fort Worth
5. Austin

Top 5 Cities With Incapacitating Injury Crashes

1. Houston
2. Dallas
3. San Antonio
4. Fort Worth
5. Austin

Top 5 Cities With Most DUI Crashes

1. San Antonio
2. Houston
3. Austin
4. Dallas
5. El Paso

Notable County-Specific Facts

Bexar County

• Most distracted driving crashes (26,305)

Dallas County

• Speeding killed 97 people (largest number of speed-related fatalities of all counties)
• Highest number of work zone crash deaths

County-Wide Statistics (with major city listed)

Top 5 Counties With Most Distracted Driving Crashes

1. Bexar (San Antonio)
2. Harris (Houston)
3. Tarrant (Fort Worth)
4. Dallas (Dallas)
5. Travis (Austin)

Top 5 Counties With Most CMV Accidents

1. Harris (Houston)
2. Dallas (Dallas)
3. Bexar (San Antonio)
4. Tarrant (Fort Worth)
5. El Paso (El Paso)

Top 5 Counties With Speed-Involved Accidents

1. Dallas (Dallas)
2. Bexar (San Antonio)
3. Harris (Houston)
4. Tarrant (Fort Worth)
5. Travis (Austin)

Top 5 Counties For Work Zone Accidents

1. Dallas (Dallas)
2. Denton (Denton)
3. Harris (Houston)
4. Bexar (San Antonio)
5. Tarrant (Fort Worth)

*All data are taken from the Texas Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics – 2016

Brendan Fleming

Brendan received his JD from South Texas College of Law and his MBA from Baylor University. He then began his legal career as in-house counsel for a publicly-traded company, advising on matters such as mergers and acquisitions, securities, compliance, and general corporate transactions. He then worked at a national law firm in which he represented commercial banks, private equity firms, and business owners in complex transactions before joining Fleming Law, Brendan uses his considerable knowledge of business-related matters by working on cases involving business law, real estate law, and contracts. Connect with me on LinkedIn