Schuelke Law Firm Spotlights Rising Car Accident Trends in Texas

With car accident rates escalating in Texas, Schuelke Law Firm highlights the critical need for heightened awareness and stronger preventive measures on the state’s roadways.

Each year, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) publishes statistics about traffic accidents in the state. For instance, in Austin in 2021, there were 12,433 crashes. That figure represents 2.9 percent of all crashes in the Lone Star State. Austin city limits contain 3.3 percent of Texas’s population.

In 2022 Austin had 12,768 collisions, representing 111 fatal crashes and 116 deaths. For further information on other cities and locations in Texas for 2022, visit HERE. 

The vast majority of Austin car crashes, and those across the state, are usually the result of driver errors, such as distracted driving, DWI/DUI, driving while drowsy, speeding, etc. Despite the alarming statistics from 2021, the numbers from 2022 do show a modest decline in the number of crashes overall.

In 2022, the death rate on state roadways was 1.55 deaths per one hundred million vehicle miles traveled. That number is a 1.99 percent decrease from 2021. In lockstep, the state experienced a decrease in the number of traffic deaths. The 2022 death toll of 4,481 decreased 0.36 percent from 2021’s death toll of 4,497.

Despite the small decrease in the number of crashes, there were 15,299 serious injury collisions in the state in 2022, with 18,880 suffering a serious injury. Fatal accidents in rural areas represented 51.42 percent of the state’s traffic deaths of 2,304 Texans. 

“The roll call of death never seems to end,” said Austin car accident attorney Brooks Schuelke. “Death stalks the highways and byways, and each day more people die as a result of various factors.”

1,030 Texans died in 2022 in accidents in an intersection or related to an intersection. Head-on crashes took the lives of 636 people in 2022. The number of accidents was so horrifically high in 2022 that there were no deathless days in the state in 2022.

The deadliest day in the state was July 22, 2022, when 31 people died in car accidents. The deadliest month was September, with 427 killed. These numbers indicate that one individual died every 1 hour and 57 minutes. That one person was hurt every 2 minutes and 9 seconds, and a crash happened every 57 seconds. 

In the aftermath of a car crash, it is best to reach out and contact an experienced Austin car accident attorney to handle the case. Many people who have been in an accident are not aware of their legal rights or aware of what they may be able to receive in compensation for their injuries or for the death of a loved one.

“At Schuelke Law, we have been handling car accident cases for decades and are here to support you from start to finish in seeking compensation for your injuries. Our goal is for you to learn your legal rights, how to pursue them, and to assist you in recovering from your devastating losses. Give us a call today. We’re here for you,” Schuelke added.