The Texas Department of Transportation’s 2014 car accident statistics shows some sad increases in the status of our Texas roadways. In 2014 the state of Texas saw a 3.7 percent increase in the number of motor vehicle fatalities compared to the previous year. A total of 3,534 people lost their lives on our roads, and another 17,152 suffered serious injuries in crashes.
Of the motor vehicle crashes in Texas in 2014, the following fatalities occurred involving vehicles (aside from cars and trucks):
Regarding car accident victims, 43.8 percent were reported as not wearing a seatbelt or using a restraint during the crash. Another 1,041 people were reported as being the victims of a drunk driver, 29 percent of all car accidents in Texas that year. Additionally, 483 fatal crashes were caused by distracted driving such as texting.
There were no deathless days in Texas in 2014; based on the reported crashes one person was killed every 2 hours and 29 minutes. The most fatal days in 2014 were January 1 and April 19, with 23 reported traffic fatalities on each day. The month of October saw the highest number of fatalities with 351 persons killed. Halloween night is historically the highest yearly pedestrian fatality risk due to trick-or-treating and holiday parties.
Most accidents occurred in rural areas of Texas and accounted for 55.86 percent of the total traffic crashes in the state. Another 823 crashes occurred in an intersection or were related to an intersection, such as cars running a traffic signal through an intersection or striking a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
Overall, Texas drivers are driving more on a year-to-year basis. Since 2013, Texas drivers drove 1.75 percent more miles, nearly 249 billion miles in 2014. Aside from serious injuries and fatalities, minor traffic accidents caused an estimated 237,941 car accident injuries.
While we love when our state ranks high on some lists, traffic fatalities are not one of them. Unfortunately, Texas is number one when it comes to fatal traffic crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2013 statistics. That year, our state reported 3,382 fatal crashes, a slight decrease from 2012 with 3,408 but still higher than the next-highest state, California, with 3,000 fatalities in 2013.
There are many types of car accidents, and whether you’re the driver hit by a negligent trucker or a pedestrian hit by a texting minivan driver, the Law Office of Julie Johnson is here to help. Contact us online or call our office today at 214-290-8001 to schedule a free consultation regarding your right to recovery.
