Texas is already on track to record more than 4,000 traffic-related deaths this year as fatal motor vehicle accidents continue to spike across the state.
According to a database maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation, 1,636 people died on Texas’ roads and highways in the first five months of 2021. That figure represents a 14% increase compared to the same period last year.
“We are going the wrong way,” Texas Transportation Commissioner Laura Ryan said in a statement provided to The Houston Chronicle. “It is heartbreaking, it is frustrating, and we have got to do something about it.”
Texas Roads Saw Deadliest Start to a Year in a Decade
As the Chronicle noted, Texas hasn’t seen more than 4,000 roadway deaths since the mid-1980s, when the state’s population was much smaller but the roads far more dangerous.
According to a TxDOT analysis, the first four months of 2021 rank as the deadliest start to a year in the last decade. At least 1,368 people died on state roads and highways from January through April, a 24% increase over last year and a 19% spike compared to 2019.
Roadway deaths rose 27% over last year in the eight-county Houston Metro Region with 256 confirmed fatalities. Harris County recorded 183 of those deaths, an increase of 36% from 2020 and 30% compared to 2019.
Traffic Accident Deaths Have Spiked Nationwide
Unfortunately, traffic fatalities have been rising throughout the country, with new estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicating that 38,680 people died on the nation’s roads last year – the most since 2007.
Traffic accident deaths surged in 2020 despite coronavirus shutdowns throughout the United States that resulted in a 13% in overall traffic volume. According to the NHTSA, three factors contributed to last year’s increase: driving, speeding, and failure to wear a seat belt. Alcohol-related crashes were up 9% compared to 2019, speeding-related crashes rose by an alarming 11%, and fatal crashes involving unrestrained vehicle occupants jumped by 35% compared to 2019.
The nation also recorded a 5% increase in passenger vehicle occupant deaths, a 5% rise in bicyclist fatalities, and a 9% spike in motorcyclist deaths.
Pedestrian deaths remained flat in 2020, while fatal crashes involving large trucks fell by 2% and traffic-related deaths of senior citizens (65+) dropped by 9% compared to 2019.
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