Top 5 Causes of Car Accidents in Texas

Thousands of car accidents occur every day in Texas. Many of these accidents are minor and don’t result in injuries. However, in 2014, 17,152 people were seriously injured and 3,534 individuals were killed in traffic accidents across the state.

So what causes all of these accidents?

According to 2014 data from the Texas Department of Transportation, the most common causes of car accidents in Texas are:

  1. Speeding: According to the TxDOT report, 149,081 crashes were caused by or related to speeding in 2014.
  2. Driver inattention: The second most common cause of car accidents in Texas is driver inattention. The report does not go into detail about what constitutes driver inattention, but 91,833 accidents statewide occurred in 2014 because of it.
  3. Failure to drive in single lane: There were a total of 32,937 accidents caused by failure to drive in a single lane in 2014. This includes accidents caused by drivers who crossed the center line, crossed the shoulder line, drove over lane lines or frequently changed lanes while driving.
  4. Failure to yield: The fourth most common cause of car accidents in Texas is failure to yield when turning left (28,713 accidents). If you take a broader look at failure to yield accidents (failure to yield to pedestrians, failure to yield to emergency vehicles, etc.) the number is much greater.
  5. Changing lanes when unsafe: When a driver fails to look before changing lanes, fails to signal when changing lanes, or changes lanes too quickly, accidents can happen. These accidents are more common in urban areas. Across Texas in 2014, 28,571 accidents were caused by unsafe lane changes.

This data includes information about all car accidents – including non-injury crashes, injury crashes, fatal accidents, etc.

If you have been injured in a car accident caused by driver error, you may be entitled to compensation. Schedule a free consultation with a lawyer from Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner in Houston, Texas.