There’s no denying the danger of Texas roads. The Lone Star State often finds itself in the unenviable top position in auto accident lists; an analysis of fatal car accidents by state by Wisevoter found that Texas has the highest number of fatal car accidents. Fox News ranked Interstate Highway 45 (I-45) in its rundown of the most dangerous roads in America — with Budget Direct naming the Galveston-to-Dallas section as the deadliest road in the country, averaging over 56 fatal crashes per 100 miles.
The primary cause?
Driver complacency.
But what other factors contribute to the glut of auto accidents happening each day in Texas? How much of a problem is drunk driving? Are some Texas counties more dangerous than others?
In this study and analysis, the legal team at San Antonio and McAllen personal injury firm Patino Law answers these questions and more.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) usually releases its Traffic Crash Facts document — compiling the previous year’s statistics on motor vehicle accidents in the state — in March.
But, instead of waiting until then, we’ve painstakingly compiled crash data from the thousands of accidents that occurred in the state in 2023, providing key insights such as:
Using data gathered via the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Crash Records Information System (C.R.I.S.), we present the latest auto accident statistics.
Patino Law Firm is the only place to see these all in one place without going into C.R.I.S. and analyzing the data for yourself.
We’ve also compared our findings against the same period in 2022, allowing you to see how road activity and driver behavior have changed year on year.
Want an overview of the top statistics highlighted by TxDOT? Our Texas personal injury law firm has created our own Texas Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Facts document for download.
Find out how many people were killed in Texas auto accidents, how often a crash occurs, what day of the week the most fatal accidents happened, and more all in one place.
This one-page “cheat sheet” gives you the Texas fatality statistics you need to know and contains a comparison to 2022 so you can easily see whether Texas roads have improved or worsened during 2023.
This blog includes additional statistics and charts for diving into specific data or getting an at-a-glance view with our interactive charts.
You can start from the top or jump to a specific section by choosing a card below.
Learn how many reportable crashes occurred across the state, how many were fatal, the shocking statistic of how often a person was injured in an auto accident in 2023, and more.
2023 marked another year on record that auto accident fatalities in Texas fell. In 2023, 4,254 people suffered fatal injuries in crashes across the state, down 3.5% from 4,407 deaths in 2022.
It’s a welcome result, especially as it looked unlikely just a few months ago. In October, we compared data from January to September 2023 to the same period in 2022 to examine the number of fatal crashes to date and analyze the trajectory for the year.
The outcome?
3,180 people died in auto accidents during the first nine months of the year, up 20% compared to 2022. The shocking numbers translated into a person being killed every hour and 50 minutes.
Based on the data, it seemed likely that fatalities would follow a similar trend, ultimately resulting in the worst year on record.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, and a drop in deaths over the holiday season meant total fatalities decreased.
When looking solely at data, it’s all too easy to see a small dip in crash numbers and write it off as a minimal change. But the reality is that every decrease in these statistics represents at least one fewer person sustaining life-ending injuries, and the impact of that, not just on each individual but also on the lives of their loved ones, cannot be understated.
However, we must recognize that Texas still has a long way to go.
Based on reportable crashes in 2023:
For comparison, in 2022:
These figures may be more headline-worthy, but they don’t give us the entire picture.
The time between deaths in Texas auto crashes may have increased by seven minutes, but 2023 saw total crashes and injuries increase, slightly skewing the data.
For a more accurate picture, we need to consider the percentage of injuries that were fatal:
| Total injuries | Fatalities | Percentage (%) of total | |
| 2022 | 248,731 * | 4,407 | 1.77 |
| 2023 | 254,095 | 4,254 | 1.67 |
*The total injuries count is the sum of all individuals recorded as suffering a fatal, serious, minor, possible, or autonomous injury in a TxDOT reportable crash. We have not included individuals who suffered no injury or when the injury severity was unknown.
As we can see, the percentage of fatalities has increased — but only marginally. We also can’t ignore that total injuries have increased:
| Total injuries | Serious injuries | Percentage (%) of total | |
| 2022 | 248,731 | 18,881 | 7.59 |
| 2023 | 254,095 | 18,728 | 7.37 |
| Total injuries | Minor injuries | Percentage (%) of total | |
| 2022 | 248,731 | 91,073 | 36.61 |
| 2023 | 254,095 | 98,426 | 38.74 |
| Total injuries | Possible injuries | Percentage (%) of total | |
| 2022 | 248,731 | 134,370 | 54.02 |
| 2023 | 254,095 | 132,686 | 52.22 |
The overall increase in injuries resulted in one person in Texas being injured in a crash every 2 minutes and 4 seconds.
But when and where do most of these accidents occur?
Are crashes more likely in certain counties? Are there more fatalities in the spring or fall? Explore the exact count of fatal crashes at a total level, drill into a specific county, and see how many crashes occur on each day of the week and the most dangerous time of day (or night) for road users.
Harris County reported the most fatalities in 2023, owing to its high population density. Despite large decreases in fatalities in more population-density counties, several saw fatalities climb.
Of the top 30 counties featured in the list for 2023, just less than half — 14 counties — saw fatal crashes increase. These included Hidalgo (73 versus 70), Smith (65 versus 46), Fort Bend (40 versus 34), Hunt (33 versus 14), and Comal (25 versus 15).
In 2023, October proved the worst month for fatalities, recording 349 fatal crashes. Notably, fatal accidents decreased compared to 2022 (351), when October was the fourth-deadliest county behind January (352), December (362), and September (384). January 2023 was a more positive month versus the year before, with 314 fatal crashes happening, placing it seventh on the list.
The majority of fatal crashes in 2023 occurred on a Sunday (695, down from 718 in 2022), marking the beginning of a common trend — as we’ll see shortly, more drunk-driving, speeding, and distracted driving fatal crashes occurred on Sundays than on any other day.
The order is near-identical year on year, with the number of fatal crashes reported each day falling, but there is one exception. Monday and Wednesday swapped positions in 2023, with 496 fatal auto accidents occurring on Mondays compared to 486 in 2023.
In 2022, 259 of the 3,965 fatal accidents happened in the middle of the night — between 2:00 and 2:59 am.
In 2023, Texas saw its fair share of certain types of accidents at this time, but the deadliest hour overall was 9:00-9:59 pm (273 crashes).
Texas recorded 15,216 motor vehicle accidents causing serious injuries in 2023, down from 15,301 in 2022. However, as with fatal crashes, certain counties were more dangerous than others.
In Harris — which topped every list at a county level, the number of serious injury crashes increased from 2,294 in 2022 to 2,330. Other counties that were the scene of more severe crashes include Montgomery (305 versus 294), El Paso (296 versus 292), Brazoria (206 versus 204), Galveston (167 versus 166), and Guadalupe (135 versus 102).
While October may have been the worst month for Texas fatal crashes in 2023, September proved more dangerous for serious injury crashes.
Fewer serious injury crashes occurred in October, but 2023 saw more crashes in July, August, December, January, and February.
The weekend was again the worst time for serious injury crashes in 2023. Serous injury crashes on Saturday, Sunday, Friday, and Wednesday slightly increased in 2023, but crashes fell on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
We know more fatal crashes occurred at night in 2023, but the data shows that more serious injury crashes happened earlier in the day. Compared to 2023, more serious injury crashes occurred between 6:00 and 6:59 pm, 4:00 and 4:59 pm, 9:00 and 9:59 pm, 2:00 and 2:59 pm, and more.
Are accidents more likely to happen on some roads than others? Find out the top 20 most dangerous roads across the entire state.
These charts show the top 20 most dangerous roads in the state based on reported accidents.
Many of the most dangerous Texas roads are Interstate Highways. Highways are vital in today’s US transportation network, providing high-speed routes for long-distance travel and transport. They also span many of Texas’s regions, cities, towns, and beyond, so it is not surprising many accidents in the Lone Star State occur on these roadways.
Interstate Highway (I-10) stretches 2,460 miles across the Southern United States. It begins in Santa Monica, California, and travels eastward through Arizona, Texas, and New Orleans to Florida.
I-10 is a major Texas roadway, connecting cities including El Paso, San Antonio, and Houston.
I-10 also has several junctions connecting to various major cities, including I-35 in San Antonio and I-45 in Houston.
Interstate 10 topped the list as the most dangerous road in 2023, with 126 fatal crashes reported versus 140 in 2022.
Interstate Highway 45 (I-45) runs from Galveston to Dallas. At 284.9 miles long, this highway is shorter than the I-10 but forms a crucial north-south transportation corridor in Texas, linking major cities such as Houston and Dallas.
Another major north-south highway, Interstate Highway 35 (I-35) stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the American-Mexican border up to Duluth, Minnesota.
Along its extensive route, I-35 traverses several major cities, including San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Oklahoma City.
Interstate Highway 45 and 35 also feature in the top three deadliest roads of 2023 — unsurprising given their coverage of the state — although the positions reversed year on year, with 96 crashes on IH-45 in 2023 (versus 106 in 2022) and 95 reported crashes on IH35 (compared to 113 the year before).
Interstate Highway 35E (I-35E) is a branch of I-35 that passes through Dallas and Fort Worth. Despite being a much shorter highway, it was nonetheless the site of thousands of accidents in 2023 — 53 of which proved fatal.
U.S. Highway 290 (US 290) is a major highway — some 261 miles long — spanning the West Texas town of Iraan in Pecos County to Houston. Along the way, it passes through Junction, Fredericksburg, Austin, and Brenham and intersects with I-10 and I-35.
Fewer accidents happened on US 290 compared to Interstate Highways of a similar length in 2023, resulting in this road dropping out of the top 20 deadliest count last year.
U.S. Highway 83 (US 83) is a pivotal roadway extending from the Canadian border in North Dakota to the Mexican border in Texas. Its nickname, “The Road to Nowhere” originates from its route through the Great Plains, though it spans the entire South Texas valley from its southern terminus in Brownsville. In Harlingen, Cameron County, it merges with Interstate 2 (I-2), which serves as the principal east-west corridor in the Rio Grande Valley and traverses the Hidalgo County cities of Mercedes, Weslaco, Donna, Alamo, Pharr, McAllen, Mission, and Peñitas.
In Penitas, US 83 passes through Starr and Zapata, then on through Laredo, Uvalde, Junction, and Wellington. At the Oklahoma state line, US 83 continues north through Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota.
US 83 saw 655 accidents result in injury (fatal, serious, minor, possible, and autonomous) in Texas in 2023, though more (726) occurred on the 47 miles comprising I-2 — unsurprising given the breadth of the Rio Grande Valley it covers.
However, more fatalities occurred on US 83 in 2023 — 22 crashes were fatal compared to 5 on I-2.
| Interstate 2 | U.S. Highway 83 | |||
| 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Crashes resulting in injury | 679 | 726 | 630 | 655 |
| Fatal crashes | 9 | 5 | 16 | 22 |
Discover how many Texas accidents cite alcohol-related factors in crash reports and when these accidents occur.
We compared 2023 data versus 2022 to answer the question, “Is drunk driving becoming more of a problem?”
These drunk-driving accident statistics come from the data on “alcohol-involved” crashes in C.R.I.S. These are defined as collisions where a person was reported with a contributing factor of “under the influence of alcohol” or “had been drinking”, or where their blood alcohol content “BAC” was greater than zero.
Texas recorded a total of 1,138 fatalities from 1,015 alcohol-involved crashes in 2023.
In 2022, there were 1,463 deaths from 1,309 fatal crashes, marking the first in a series of decreases across the state in 2023.
Sunday was the worst day for fatal alcohol-involved crashes across both years, with 352 crashes recorded in 2022 versus 274 in 2023.
The majority of fatal drunk-driving accidents occurred between 2:00 and 2:59 am. There were 119 fatal crashes during this early-morning hour in 2023, down from 168 the year before.
Interestingly, the start of the year was the worst period for these crashes in 2022. 124 crashes occurred in January and March, although the deadliest day was June 5th, with 13 crashes recorded.
But the summer months proved the deadliest in 2023, with 106 crashes in July and 105 in August. Indeed, August 20th was the worst day of the year for fatal alcohol-involved accidents (13).
| Fatalities | Fatal Crashes | Deadliest Month | Deadliest Day | Deadliest Time | |
| 2022 | 1,463 | 1,309 | January and March (124) | Sunday (352) | 2:00 – 2:59 am (168) |
| 2023 | 1,138 | 1,015 | July (106) | Sunday (274) | 2:00 – 2:59 am (119) |
At a county level, Harris, Dallas, and Bexar were the deadliest counties for drunk driving, owing to their high population counts:
| Fatalities | Ranking by population (population count) | |
| Harris | 167 | 1 (4,872,165) |
| Dallas | 105 | 2 (2,626,612) |
| Bexar | 53 | 4 (2,116,800) |
| Tarrant | 39 | 3 (2,204,981) |
| Travis | 36 | 5 (1,362,220) |
| El Paso | 31 | 10 (870,117) |
| Hidalgo | 23 | 9 (903,835) |
| Galveston | 21 | 16 (360,733) |
| Collin | 20 | 6 (1,247,188) |
| Lubbock | 20 | 18 (323,489) |
| Fatalities | Ranking by population (population count) | |
| Harris | 234 | 1 (4,872,165) |
| Dallas | 135 | 2 (2,626,612) |
| Bexar | 100 | 4 (2,116,800) |
| Travis | 64 | 5 (1,362,220) |
| Tarrant | 37 | 3 (2,204,981) |
| Hidalgo | 32 | 9 (903,835) |
| Midland | 31 | 31 (179,585) |
| Collin | 27 | 6 (1,247,188) |
| El Paso | 25 | 10 (870,117) |
| Ector | 21 | 32 (161,079) |
TxDOT defines a distracted driving crash as an accident citing a contributing factor of “driver inattention”, “distraction in vehicle”, or “cell/mobile device use” — this factor is further split into talking on the phone, texting, or “other” (such as browsing the internet or watching a video).
Distracted driving fatalities fell year on year from 448 deaths to 398. The number of crashes also decreased, down from 434 to 359 accidents.
As with alcohol-involved crashes, Sunday was the worst day of the week for distracted driving fatalities in both 2022 (76) and 2023 (60).
In 2022, more distracted driving accidents occurred between 2:00 and 2:59 am (30), but interestingly, 6:00-6:59 pm was the worst hour for this type of accident in 2023 (28 crashes).
When looking at the most dangerous months for distracted driving crashes, September and December topped the list in 2022, recording 50 and 49 crashes, respectively. The most fatal day was — perhaps unsurprisingly — Christmas Day, with seven crashes citing driver distraction as a contributing factor.
| Fatalities | Fatal Crashes | Deadliest Month | Deadliest Day | Deadliest Time | |
| 2022 | 448 | 434 | September (50) | Sunday (76) | 2:00 – 2:59 am (30) |
| 2023 | 398 | 359 | March (41) | Sunday (60) | 6:00 – 6:59 pm (28) |
In 2022, March was the worst month for distracted driving fatalities, although the most fatal accidents occurred on May 17th and October 7th, with five crashes occurring on both of these days.
Speed-related crashes are those citing contributing factors of “speeding – over limit”, “unsafe speed”, or “failure to control speed”.
Once again, Texas reported a year-on-year drop in fatal crashes of this type. In 2023, 1,419 individuals died in speed-related crashes versus 1,480 the year before.
In 2022, May was the deadliest month for speeding accident deaths, recording 135 fatal crashes. June topped the list in 2023 with 122 fatal crashes — but May was just a single crash behind.
| Fatalities | Fatal Crashes | Deadliest Month | Deadliest Day | Deadliest Time | |
| 2022 | 1,480 | 1,339 | May (135) | Sunday (261) | 2:00 – 2:59 am (101) |
| 2023 | 1,419 | 1,266 | June (122) | Sunday (255) | 2:00 – 2:59 am (90) |
While we saw fatal crashes involving speed-related factors, distracted driving, and alcohol use decrease, fatalities for other types of accidents increased year on year.
An intersection-related accident is a crash that occurred at an intersection or in any way involved an intersection. TxDOT defines it specifically as:
“A traffic crash in which the first harmful event (1) occurs on an approach to or exit from an intersection and (2) results from an activity, behavior or control related to the movement of traffic units through the intersection.”
Fatalities in intersection-related crashes increased in 2023, from 1,020 to 1,108.
The data reports an increase in the number of motorcyclists killed year on year, with 595 motorcyclist deaths in 2023 from 562 the previous year.
But it’s particularly interesting to look at the statistics on helmet use, yielding surprising insights into the life-saving impact of the voluntary protective gear.
Of the motorcyclists and motorcycle passengers killed in motorcycle accidents in 2022, 244 were not wearing a helmet.
In 2023, this increased to 265. This figure aligns with the increase in motorcycle fatalities, but it is at least positive to see the percentage of people who died and were not wearing a helmet fall year on year — from 51% in 2022 to 45% last year.
However, the data also reveals that wearing a helmet alone is enough to prevent a devastating fatality — the condition of the helmet matters.
Notably, 281 motorcyclists or motorcycle passengers died in 2022 who were wearing a damaged helmet. In 2023, this figure increased to 300.
To illustrate the effectiveness of proper safety gear, let’s look at the number of motorcyclist or passenger deaths of individuals known to be wearing an undamaged helmet:
| Deaths of motorcyclists/motorcycle passengers not wearing helmets | Deaths of motorcyclists/motorcycle passengers wearing damaged helmets | Deaths of motorcyclists/motorcycle passengers wearing undamaged helmets | |
| 2022 | 244 | 281 | 38 |
| 2023 | 265 | 300 | 30 |
A single auto accident is capable of creating incredible devastation, injuring or killing many individuals. In 2022, TxDOT recorded two accidents causing six or more fatalities. In 2023, this figure more than doubled; five crashes killed at least six people, with two crashes tied for most fatalities.
The first occurred On May 7th, 2023, in Brownsville, Cameron County. The second happened outside city limits in Zavala County on November 8th. Both killed eight people and, notably, cited “unsafe speed” as contributing factors.
The difference is shocking. The benefits of wearing a helmet should speak for themselves, but if motorcyclists and passengers need any reassurance of how life-saving they can be, it’s here in black and white.
Pedestrians are the most vulnerable users on the road. Pedestrian fatalities in Texas fell to 802 in 2023 from 816 in 2022. However, the number of pedalcyclists killed in auto accidents increased from 91 to 103.
We also explored the number of people who either died or sustained suspected serious injuries in crashes involving unlicensed drivers.
This speaks to the tragedy of such accidents in that these people should not have been on the road — these crashes, like so many on our roads, could have been avoided.
But it’s particularly interesting for our Texas law firm because crashes involving unlicensed drivers pose challenges for those who may be entitled to compensation after such an accident.
In 2023, 501 people died in crashes involving unlicensed drivers, down from 513 in 2022.
However, the number of people who sustained suspected serious injuries increased year on year, with 2,881 injuries recorded versus 2,770.
When the attending officer at an accident scene gathers the information that will form their crash report, they note whether the parties involved have proof of financial security or, in other words, a Certificate of Motor Insurance. This record proves a vehicle owner has insurance coverage, allowing injured parties to recover compensation when they are hurt in an accident caused by the vehicle owner’s negligence or recklessness.
When a motorist does not have insurance, it can make recovering compensation difficult. Those who drive without insurance rarely do so maliciously — often, they cannot afford it, so it’s also unlikely they do not have the means to pay significant compensation.
When a person is injured because of the actions of another individual who does not have insurance, they can explore other options for recovery, such as putting liens on owned property or receiving compensation over time from the responsible party’s wages. But this isn’t an ideal scenario for someone who likely has medical bills to pay and cannot work.
Another option is to explore other avenues, such as pursuing compensation from another party that may be liable for the crash. However, this can be challenging, especially if there is little proof another party — such as an employer if the driver was working when they caused the accident — was at fault.
Just how many people potentially found themselves in this scenario in Texas?
In 2023, 1,265 people were killed in accidents where at least one party either did not have proof of financial security or where the financial proof had expired. This figure increased from 2022 when 1,229 people suffered fatal injuries.
Likewise, the number of people who sustained suspected serious injuries in this type of crash increased year on year, with 5,664 people seriously injured in 2023 accidents where at least one party had expired or insufficient proof of financial security (versus 5,443 the previous year).
But what is a “serious” injury?
Since 2010, the Texas Department of Transportation has referred to “incapacitating” injuries as “suspected serious” injuries, but that raises another question: “How do we define an incapacitating injury?”.
This vocabulary comes from the KABCO injury scale — created by the Federal Highway Administration to measure the severity of an auto accident. The scale comprises five codes, each corresponding to an injury severity, although there is a sixth code when the injury severity is unknown, such as if a potentially injured party fled the scene.
This is a federal scale and the definitions across jurisdictions are mostly consistent, but each state may impose additional criteria on injury classification, leading to some variations for different injury types.
The general guidance for incapacitating injuries is as follows:
“An incapacitating injury is a severe injury that prevents an accident victim from continuing normal activities. Examples include broken or distorted limbs, internal injuries, and a crushed chest.”
However, the TxDOT helpfully defines incapacitating injuries specifically for Texas as:
“Any injury, other than a fatal injury, which prevents the injured person from walking, driving or normally continuing the activities he was capable of performing before the injury occurred.”
Examples of incapacitating or serious injuries include broken bones, burns, head trauma, and spinal cord damage. These injuries can have a life-changing impact, so the effects of not being able to recover compensation because the party responsible lacks financial security are often more keenly felt by victims.
Even a fracture that heals without complication can leave an injured person out of work for several months. But some may never recover full function and be left with permanent weakness that limits what they can do.
Other incapacitating injuries can prove even more devastating — somebody with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) might never work again. A person with a spinal cord injury may be left permanently paralyzed.
But these injuries don’t just have a physical impact. A TBI might affect relationships because an injury victim struggles to regulate their emotions. A person with burns might have permanent, visible scars that cause them to lose self-esteem, affecting their ability to form relationships and making them withdrawn and depressed.
These are all damages a person wrongfully injured in an accident is entitled to recover, so it can seem a massive injustice when they cannot recover the compensation they rightfully deserve because an individual has consciously decided to drive without insurance.
We believe that the more you know about Texas roads and motorists’ behavior, the better equipped you are to avoid a potentially devastating accident.
While drivers and pedestrians are unpredictable — we’re all too familiar with the reality that an accident can happen unexpectedly — knowing which streets, highways, and counties are traditionally more dangerous and the common factors that cause accidents can help you stay alert and take preventive measures.
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Texas, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses. Our personal injury lawyers in McAllen and San Antonio can assess your accident and determine whether you have a claim. From there, we will gather evidence proving the other party’s fault — such as your crash report, which is not unlike the data we’ve analyzed here — and strive to achieve the fair compensation you deserve.
To find out more about how our McAllen personal injury attorney can help you, call 855-LAW-NINJA, submit a confidential contact form, or visit us at one of our offices. You can find us at 1802 N 10th St on the corner of Redwood Avenue in McAllen, or in Suite 700 in Alamo Towers on the 901 NE 410 Loop in San Antonio.
This study is based on 2023 and 2022 collision data from the Texas Department of Transportation, from January 1st to December 31st. For more details or information on how we compiled this data, please contact us. Patino Law Firm encourages outlets and publications to report on or republish this study in part but asks that you credit Patino Law Firm by linking to this page.
When filing a personal injury claim, it’s vital to choose a law firm that you trust to fight for justice and get you the maximum possible payout. That’s why our personal injury lawyers in Texas offer a free, no-obligation case review so that you can see if we’re a good fit for you. After gathering some details on your accident and injuries and how they’ve affected you, we’ll be able to advise on how likely your claim is to succeed, how much you could expect to earn in a settlement, or by taking your case to trial and what happens next. If you choose not to work with us after your initial consultation, that’s fine too.
We work on a contingency fee basis, so you won’t pay a cent unless we win your case. This means you can focus on your recovery without worrying about facing a hefty legal bill before you even get started.
Our dedicated and experienced personal injury lawyers in McAllen and San Antonio are here to help you get the compensation you deserve. To schedule your free consultation, call Patino Law Firm at 855-LAW-NINJA or contact us online.
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