Car Accident Statistics

The Texas Department of Transportation (TDOT) reports that as of March 9, 2020, 566 people had already lost their lives in vehicle accidents on Texas highways. That tally changes daily. At Springer & Lyle, we are concerned about the number of people who are injured as well as about the family members of those who die on Texas roadways. We are disturbed by the statistics and want to make you aware of the importance of driving safely.

Texas Traffic Crash Facts

According to the TDOT, the calendar year 2018 is the most recent year for which crash data is available. This is not a comprehensive list, but some statistics for vehicle traffic crashes provided by the Department for 2018 are as follows:

• Every day on Texas roadways, someone lost his or her life.
• October was the deadliest month with 332 people killed.
• 3,639 people lost their lives with 548 of them killed in head-on collisions.
• Every two hours and 25 minutes, someone was killed.
• More than 14,900 people were seriously injured. A serious injury for statistical purposes is one that is considered an “incapacitating injury.”
• Another 249,241 people suffered injuries that were less than incapacitating.
• Every two minutes and seven seconds, someone was injured.

Contributing Factors to Traffic Crash Fatalities and Injuries

The TDOT investigates accidents in order to discover any factors that contributed to the accidents. They discovered:

• Nearly 55% of fatalities occurred in rural areas. These crashes accounted for 2,001 of the deaths.
• A driver was under the influence of alcohol in 26% of all fatal crashes accounting for 940 deaths.
• More DUI crashes occurred on Saturdays between 2:00 a.m. and 2:59 a.m. than any other day or time of the week.
• Distracted driving accounted for the deaths of 398 people.

Denton County Statistics

The statistics for Denton County for 2018 were:

• 51 people killed.
• 256 suffered incapacitating injuries.
• 1,471 suffered injuries less than incapacitating.
• 2,901 suffered from other injuries.
• 374 had injuries of unknown severity.
• 1,486 had unknown injuries.
• There was a total of 11,692 traffic crashes in Denton County in 2018.

If you were injured, or a loved one was killed in a traffic accident that was the fault of a negligent driver, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries or the wrongful death of your loved one. For information if you were involved in an accident on a Texas road, contact our personal injury attorneys at Springer & Lyle for a free consultation.