Traffic Accidents Houston
Causes Of Traffic Fatalities Houston
Car accidents in Houston happen for a variety of reasons. Many people think that drivers who carelessly change lanes on highways are the problem. But some insist that drivers who turn right on a red light without stopping are the main cause. Generally, bad driving habits are the main reasons why accidents occur on Houston roads, and they often lead to property damage and serious injuries.
An experienced Texas car accident lawyer can help you fight for your rights if a negligent party causes an accident where you get injured and give you additional information about the causes of car accidents in Houston.
How Severe Are Car Accidents In Houston?
List Of Car Accidents In Texas
Many people have been numbed to the frequency of crashes in Houston because they happen all the time. According to the Houston Chronicle, there has been a steady increase in the number of fatal accidents in the nation from 2001 to 2016 compared to 12 of the largest cities nationwide. In 2018, the newspaper indicated that 11 fatal car accidents and 12 deaths occur every week in Houston’s nine-county metro area.
Some of the top reasons for these accidents in Houston include:
- Driving under the influence of alcohol
- Speeding
- Pedestrians on interstates
- Traffic congestion
- Road rage chases
- Bicycle accidents
- Intersection accidents
- Drug-induced accidents
Reasons Why Car Accidents Are So Bad In Houston
Houston Traffic Accidents Reports
Studies show that Houston leads in fatal car accidents for the following reasons:
- Houston’s long commuting times where a majority of drivers spend about 30 minutes driving to work
- Law enforcement are issuing fewer speeding tickets and the speeding tickets are enforced leniently
- Highways in Houston have 75mph speed limits, which are very high
- There is a striking lack of automated enforcement in the form of automated cameras that can catch bad drivers
- The roads are often too narrow with no sidewalks putting both cyclists and pedestrians at risk of getting hit by rogue drivers
Houston Car Accident Statistics
Houston Driving Conditions
The Texas Department of Transportation (TDOT) compiled the following statistics:
- The number of traffic fatalities and injuries have been increasing every year since 2016
- There were 253 car accident fatalities in the City of Houston in 2019
- There were 196 car accident fatalities in 2018
- There were 23,182 car accident injuries that occurred in Houston in 2016
- There were 23,470 car accident injuries in 2019 in Houston
What this shows is that car accidents are getting worse in Houston.
Common Causes Of Car Accidents In Houston
Major Accidents In Houston Today
The Texas Department of Transportation has started releasing information about the top contributing factors in fatal motor vehicle accidents in Texas. At the top of the list is failure to drive in a single lane, contributing to 587 fatal accidents.
Following closely behind with a shocking 450 accidents is failure to control speed. Other contributing factors are:
- 441 accidents caused by driving under the influence of alcohol
- 435 accidents caused by failing to drive in a single lane
- 435 accidents caused by pedestrians failing to yield to vehicles
- 388 accidents caused by deliberate speeding
Making Houston Roads Safer
Bad Accidents In Houston, Texas
Law enforcement needs to target drivers that ignore the rules of the road by issuing more traffic tickets in order to reduce accidents. Setting safer speed limits on highways and educating the public about how dangerous roads in the region have become could also help accomplish this goal.