Most Common Contributing Factors of Fatalities on Texas Roads

Most Common Contributing Factors of Fatalities on Texas Roads

We are going to take a look at the data as it compares from rural Texas roads to more urban and metropolitan areas. The information reported every year gives a really good breakdown of some of the most common contributing factors for fatal and serious accidents. Understanding this information can hopefully help you not only become a better defensive driver, but also more resilient in holding negligent drivers accountable.

First we are going to look at the most common contributing factors to serious injury accidents on RURAL Texas roads:

• Defective or Slick Tires accounted for 51 deaths;
• Disregard of a Stop Sign or Light accounted for 55 deaths;
• Failed to Control Speed resulted in 181 deaths;
• Failed to drive in a single lane resulted in 349 deaths;
• Driver inattention accounts for 114 deaths;
• Failed to give half of roadway accounted for 12 deaths;
• Failed to pass to left safely results in 17 deaths
• Failed to yield row – Stop Sign resulted in 69 deaths;
• Failed to yield row – Turning Left resulted in 34 deaths;
• Speeding – over limit accounted for 94 deaths in rural Texas and 69 serious injuries;
• Fatigued or Asleep driving resulted in 127 fatalities and 334 serious injury crashes;
• Following too closely is really dangerous because cars have a very limited amount of time to react and adjust immediate braking. In 2019 a total of 9 were killed, and another 44 people were injured in these types of accidents on Texas roads;
• DUI – Impaired driving lead to 231 deaths on rural Texas roads;
• Speeding – Unsafe (under limit) accounted for 256 deaths and nearly 800 serious injuries;
• Passing in a no passing lane resulted in 22 deaths;
• Driving on the wrong side – not passing accounts for 185 deaths and driving the wrong way on a one way accounts for 19 deaths;
• Under the influence of a drug is listed as resulting in 131 deaths and nearly the same number of serious injuries.
• Attempting to overtake and pass another car with insufficient clearance resulted in 21 deaths;
• Impaired visibility lead to 36 deaths;
• Another two-dozen or so contributing factors amounted to less than 10 deaths each; like improper start from parking position, parked without lights, parked in traffic lane, load not secured, followed too closely, turned improperly – wide right, wrong side – approach or in intersection, road rage, failed to give signal or wrong signal, disregard warning sign – construction zone and many more.

Traffic crashes resulting in serious injury or death in more urban areas have some similar contributing factors, however there are stark differences as well. The data for URBAN incidents reflects:

• 346 deaths were recorded involving pedestrians failing to yield to a vehicle;
• DUI related traffic crashes accounted for 217 deaths and 533 serious injuries;
• Under the influence of drugs accounted for 87 deaths and 127 serious injuries on Texas roads, highways and freeways;
• Road rage resulted in the deaths of 6 individuals, whereas in more rural texas only 2 people were killed as a result of road rage;
• 163 people were killed in traffic crashes with speeding over the limit listed as the main contributing factor. Speeding under the limit was listed as the cause of 134 deaths on Texas roads, and 444 serious injuries;
• Fatigued or asleep driving caused 29 deaths and 139 serious injuries;
• 40 deaths were caused by drivers changing lanes when unsafe;
• Defective or no headlamps resulted in more serious injuries (10) than death (1);
• Defective or slick tires being the leading cause of an accident is almost 5 times less likely in urban traffic crashes, with just 10 people being killed in such car or truck accidents;
• Complete disregard for a stop and go signal resulted in 82 deaths and 524 serious injuries;
• Driver inattention, such as distracted driving, resulted in 134 deaths across major cities in Texas;
• 239 people were killed in metropolitan Texas cities as a result of failure to drive in a single lane;
• Failure to control speed also resulted in a high number of deaths, 272 people were killed in such traffic accidents and 1,702 were seriously injured;
• Another two-dozen contributing factors such as disregard turn marks at intersection, distraction in vehicle, failed to give half of roadway, failed to pass left safely, failed to pass right safely, failed to stop for train, failed to stop at proper place, all resulted in less than 10 deaths.