In 2016, not a single day passed without someone in Texas losing their life in a car accident, according to the state’s Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Statistics published by the Texas Department of Transportation.
A reportable car crash in the Lone Star State occurred every 57 seconds and someone was killed every two hours and injured every two minutes.
In total, 265,076 people were injured in Texas car accidents in 2016 and 3,773 people died, an increase of 5.45 percent from 2015.
According to a report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, since 2007 Texas has surpassed California in the recorded number of traffic fatalities.
A vast number of Texas car accidents can be blamed on drunk driving and a failure to use seat belts, according to state officials.
In 2012, Texas, according to the report, had six-times the number of deaths than the Golden State on highways with speed limits greater than 65 mph.
Texans also experienced twice as many fatalities as California due to motorists not wearing seat belts, particularly for children aged 15 or younger.
According to Texas A&M’s report, young children in Texas were killed at five times the rate of those in California due to not wearing seat belts.
Despite the sobering statistics, Texas motorists don’t appear to be making improvements in this area.
In 2016, some 44 percent of those killed in Texas car accidents were not restrained, according to the state’s Department of Transportation.
Driving drunk is another issue impacting Texas motorists. The state has long led the nation in the number of drunk driving deaths.
In 2016, 987 people were killed in Texas car accidents involving a driver under the influence of alcohol.
In 2012, drunk driving accounted for some 38 percent of all Texas motor vehicle traffic fatalities, and in 2014 nearly half — 47 percent — of the 1,446 state’s traffic fatalities involved alcohol-impaired driving.
The 2016 fatality rate of 1.44 deaths per 100 million miles traveled represents a nearly four percent increase from 2015.
Other notable 2016 Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics:
- Number of Motorcyclists (operators and passengers) killed in 2016: 496
- Percentage of motorcyclist killed who weren’t wearing helmets: 53
- Number of distracted driving fatalities: 455 (a five percent increase from 2015)
- Number of pedestrian fatalities: 678 (a 21.5 increase from 2015)
- Number of bicyclist fatalities: 65 (a 25 percent jump from 2015)
- Number of people suffering a serious injury: 17,582
- Number of annual vehicle miles traveled: 262 billion (increase of 1.5 percent from 2015)
- Percentage of fatalities in rural areas: 51
- Number of intersection-related fatalities: 814
- Number of people killed in head-on crashes: 638
- Deadliest month: October (382 traffic fatalities)
- Deadliest days: Sat., Oct. 29 and Sun., Feb. 21 (23 people killed on each)
If you’ve been injured in a Texas car accident, the attorneys at McDonald Worley can help. They offer a FREE case evaluation to help you determine if pursuing litigation is the best option. Fill out the form on this page to be contacted by an experienced car accident injury attorney..