High Number of Rural Accidents in Texas

You would think the rural traffic accidents in Texas would be much lower than urban accidents. Based on the population differences, more people would seem to equal more accidents. Furthermore, wouldn’t the wide expanses of straight highways and sparse traffic make driving less risky?

Unfortunately, no. This is not the case. Surprisingly, there are a high number of accidents that occur in rural areas.

Statistics for Recent Rural Traffic Accidents in Texas and Nationwide

Statistics for Recent Rural Traffic Accidents in Texas and Nationwide

In November 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released accident statistics. It compared rural and urban accident statistics nationwide. The accidents occurred in 2019:

  • There were 36,096 traffic fatalities
  • Rural fatalities were 16,340 (45%)
  • Urban fatalities were 19,595 (54%)
  • Unknown land area of accidents were 161 (less than .5%)

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reported only a slightly higher number of urban fatal crashes (1,781) than rural crashes (1,761) in 2020. Even so, there were more rural fatalities (1,988) than urban fatalities (1,908).

Underlying Reasons for Rural Traffic Accidents

Comedydriving.com lists the following as reasons for the high number of rural traffic accidents:

  • Drunk driving
  • Tendency to speed
  • Poorer engineering of urban roadways
  • Slower arrival of medical assistance
  • Motorists believing it is less dangerous than urban areas and not wearing seat beats

TxDOT indicates that the number one cause of rural accidents is speeding. The number two cause is distracted driving.

Did you lose a loved one in a rural traffic accident?

At the Law Office of Michael R. De La Paz, we handle serious vehicle accidents and traffic deaths cases. We have successfully represented accident victims in Royse City, Port Arthur, Galveston along with other areas throughout Texas. Arrange a free consultation today to evaluate your potential case.