Texas Reports Fatal Car Accident Every Day for the Past Thirteen Years

29 Jan Texas Reports Fatal Car Accident Every Day for the Past Thirteen Years

One of the worst things a person has to face is hearing that knock on the door only to find a police officer standing there. “Mrs. Smith, we are sorry to inform you, but your (son, daughter, husband, etc.) has been in an accident.” It’s heartbreaking to see the faces of those loved ones but unfortunately in Texas this is a reality that literally happens on a daily basis.

Alarming Statistics

Statistics reported by the State Department of Transportation show that a minimum of one person (usually many more) has died in a fatal car accident in Texas for more than thirteen years straight.

The last time Texas experienced a day without any traffic fatalities was on November 7, 2000 (and that may even been inaccurate). Since that time there have been more than 45,000 motor vehicle fatalities covering more than 300,000 miles of public roadways in Texas. Prior to this unfortunate streak, there was another 12 ½ year streak which ended in June 1989.

Projections for the Future

There are three major reasons for traffic accidents, commonly seen by any drunk driving accident lawyer as well as by authorities: driving while impaired, failure to use seat belts, and driving too fast for road conditions. Fatalities are increasing substantially on roadways in Texas thus decreasing any possibility that Texas will see another death-free day from traffic accidents any time in the near future.

Prior to the death-free day on November 7, 2000, the last day of zero car accident fatalities was on February 28, 1995. The current thirteen year steak is quite possibly the longest for Texas (records of traffic fatalities only run back to 1940 and are incomplete).

During the last New Year’s holiday period that lasted from December 28^th through January 1^st, Texas reported 149 crashes that involved alcohol. The statistics for these crashes included sixteen fatalities and thirty-three serious injuries. Texas took steps to help curb this serious trend during the holidays by encouraging people to obtain a ride home with someone who is sober. One of the recommendations for doing this includes visiting www.soberrides.org.

Statistical Recap

In addition to the number of accidents, some of the other information that was reported on accidents in Texas includes the following:

• Experts like a dui lawyer stated that a higher number of DUI accidents in 2012 were reported between 2 a.m. and 2:59 a.m. than during other times of the day.
• More accidents occurred on Sunday than any other day.
• There were more fatal accidents on July 22^nd than any other day that year—twenty-eight people lost their lives in accidents that day.
• July 2012 was also the deadliest month of the year. TxDOT reported 309 people died.
• Texas reported a total of 3,399 people died in accidents in 2012—this was an increase of 10.82 percent over the 3,067 deaths that were reported the previous year.
• More than half of all fatalities happened in rural areas.
• There were a total of 16,716 accidents that occurred in work zones with 132 fatalities as a result.

The statistics are alarming and are not likely to get any better. According to experts like a dui lawyer, the numbers of fatalities that result from Texas drunk driving accidents are on the increase. The costs of these fatalities may necessitate the need for an attorney for defense for DUI, and our office can help you if you find yourself in that position. We only work on contingency (nothing up-front and we only get paid if you do). You can reach our law firm by calling 1-877-659-1620 (FREE consultations!).