The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has some grim news for Texas motorists. The department recently announced that our state had the most fatalities due to car accidents for the first quarter of 2022.
NHTSA’s initial estimates stated that 9,560 people across the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) were killed in traffic accidents in the first three months of the year. At that time, the department said that California led all states with 1,079 fatalities, with Texas close behind at 1,063 deaths on the road. But revised data released later increased the estimate for Texas to 1,071 and apparently reduced California’s figure.
Texas is one of the most dangerous states for collisions
Whatever the official figure turns out to be, the fact that more than 10 percent of car accident fatalities nationwide are estimated to have happened in Texas is troubling. On the one hand, the Lone Star State has the second-highest population of any state, so it makes sense that we would be at the top of this grim list. However, Texas’ population only represents less than nine percent of the U.S. total. So the numbers are out of proportion.
Unfortunately, Texas’ highways and roads have been dangerous for years. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), more than 75,000 people have died in auto accidents in the state since 2001. That’s an average of more than ten people per day. TxDOT says that at least one person is killed on the road every single day.
A devastating loss for any family
We sincerely hope that a negligent driver never takes the life of someone you love. The trauma of a family member lost to a preventable car wreck might never completely fade away.