Texas Highways With The Most Car Accidents

Texas is the 2nd largest state in the United States, behind Alaska, with over 683,000 total lane miles for roadways. Texas is home to I-45 highway, which has been rated the deadliest road in Texas and 2nd most dangerous highway in the country. For every 100 miles of roadway on I-45 in Texas, there are about 56 fatal car accidents on average. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has reported that at least 25% of all deadly highway car accidents were drunk driving-related.

Texas Counties & Highway Car Accidents

Below is 2017 to 2019, top 5 list of the counties with the most fatal car accidents and the highways they happened on:

1. Harris County
   • In the deadliest stretch of I-45 in Houston that runs through this county, there were 1,195 fatal car accidents.
2. Dallas County
   • Around the TX-12 loop, there were 806 fatal car accidents.
3. Bexar County
   • The TX-1604 loop had 509 fatal car accidents.
4. Tarrant County
   • In the stretch of I-20 that runs through this county, there were 476 fatal car accidents.
5. Travis County
   • In the part of I-35 that runs through this county, there were 337 fatal car accidents.

These 5 counties listed above have very high traffic rates. Traffic congestion on stretches of highways leads to more opportunities for Texas car accidents to occur. Stop-and-go traffic causes drivers to lose concentration on the road and focus on other things like their cell phones. Sometimes traffic will come to a standstill, and drivers are tempted to check their phones, send messages, or even check social media.

If you aren’t looking at the road, you could cause a car accident or be rear-ended by another vehicle. However, if you are not stuck in traffic and decide to check your phone while speeding down a Texas highway, you are more likely to get involved in a motor vehicle accident.

Highways & Car Accidents

Other than I-45, Texas is home to many long highway roads with frequent car accidents. I-35 stretches 300 miles from Laredo in south Texas to Fort Worth in the northern area of Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation reported in 2018 that there were over 20,000 car accidents just on I-35.

Of those 20,000, 153 car accidents resulted in deaths and 471 car accidents with serious injuries. Interstate 35 is notoriously known for its constant road construction, accounting for about 2,000 car accidents that injured construction workers.

Texas DOT advises drivers to be cautious when driving in work zones on Interstate 35 and be aware of workers close to the shoulder. Slowing down in work zones is required if you cannot move over to be a lane away from the construction work. Moving over a lane or slowing down when approaching a TxDOT vehicle, law enforcement vehicle, or tow truck that is stopped on the side of the road is also recommended.

State Highway 130 stretches from San Antonio to Austin and is about 91 miles long. Much shorter than I-45 and I-35 but has a 41-mile section where the speed limit is 85 MPH. This is the highest posted speed limit in America and, for obvious reasons, has many speed-related fatal crashes. This is one of the deadliest highways in Texas because of the high speeds of vehicles traveling this route.

During times of bad weather conditions, Texas highways can be extra dangerous. This is because of the lack of signage and lighting, high traffic congestion, improper highway design, and inadequate guardrails. Proper signage would help prevent wrong-way drivers from entering the highways and causing fatal accidents. Lighting would help protect drivers from potholes and debris that is on the road.

Many state roads have minimal lighting because of the consistently straight path. However, Texas highways have a very intricate design to them. Any type of distracted driving can lead to vehicle accidents. Below is an image of a Dallas highway system to see the extent of the arrangements.

As we mentioned before, the NHTSA reported that 25% of traffic accidents result from drunk drivers. Forbes posted a ranking of drunk driving fatalities for all states between 2009 and 2018. Texas is the number one sufferer of drunk driving traffic fatalities at 13,592, with California as number two with 9,288.

Texas drivers often take highways to get home from going out. It is essential to set a designated driver to take your group home safely or use a ride share service to avoid causing a Texas car accident. But if you are on the receiving end of a drunk driving motor vehicle accident, it is necessary to know your rights for compensation and always be aware of your surroundings when heading home.