Americans love their cars. Making it out onto our nation’s system of highways for a road trip has come to symbolize the freedom we hold so dear in our country, but to operate a motor vehicle that on average weighs 2 tons at speeds over 60 mph is actually quite a scary prospect, especially since we have to rely on other motorists to also responsibly drive their vehicles to keep us safe.
Drivers can doze off, they can be drunk, and they can look at their text messages. Some studies have reported that up to 93% of all auto accidents are due to human error, but poorly designed roads—with elements like blind curves—and inadequate planning that leads to excessive congestion also play a large part in deadly crashes, head-on collisions, and rollovers.
Texas Has More Than 20% of the Most Dangerous Roads in the U.S.
As the number of motorists on Texas roadways continues to grow every day, so does the likelihood of a dangerous accident. The Texas Department of Transportation reports that since November of 2000 at least 1 person has died every day in the state due to an auto accident. Over the past 12 years, 41,252 people have lost their lives on the state’s roads.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 6,150 people died on the following 11 highways from 2010 to 2016:
- I-10: 676 fatalities in 585 collisions, the majority of which occurred in and around Houston.
- I-35: 644 fatalities in 590 collisions, the majority of which occurred in and around Dallas.
- I-20: 594 fatalities in 490 collisions, the majority occurring in and around Dallas
- I-59: 390 fatalities in 318 collisions, the majority occurring in and around Houston
- U.S. Highway 290: 212 fatalities in 167 collisions, the majority occurring in and around Houston
- U.S. Highway 83: 202 fatalities in 164 collisions, the majority occurring in the Rio Grande Valley region.
- U.S Highway 82: 157 fatalities in 122 collisions, the majority occurring in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area
- U.S Highway 385: 116 fatalities in 91 collisions, the majority occurring in and around Odessa.
- State Highway 105: 91 fatalities in 72 collisions, the majority occurring in and around Conroe
- U.S. Highway 175: 89 fatalities in 74 collisions, the majority occurring in and around Dallas
- I-40: 84 fatalities in 65 collisions, the majority occurring in and around Amarillo
Top 4 Most Dangerous Highways in the U.S.
The entire U.S. highway system totals more than 4 million miles. Each span of roadway has its own safety record. Some of these highways are more treacherous than others. Every year more than 34,000 fatal collisions occur on our nation’s roads. More than 50 people die every day as a result.
The following list was compiled from data by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (NHTSA-FARS) in order to determine which stretches of freeway pose the most risk to American motorists.
1. U.S. Route 93 in Arizona
Running between Wickenburg, Arizona and the Hoover Dam near the border of Nevada, this stretch of highway sees a lot of traffic from people driving between Las Vegas and Phoenix. The majority of fatal crashes occurred within Mohave County in Arizona. Even though this highway is only 200 miles long, it saw a total of 70 fatal collisions from 2010 to 2016.
2. Oklahoma State Highway 9
State Road 9 in Oklahoma runs east to west through the state between Arkansas and the Texas panhandle. It is the 2nd-longest highway in Oklahoma at 348 miles in length. From 2010 to 2016, 50 fatal collisions occurred on this highway, most of which happened in Cleveland County.
3. U.S. Route 160 in Colorado
Along U.S. 160 is an especially dangerous section in the high mountains known as Wolf Creek Pass. Because of its steep inclines and multiple switchbacks, this part of the road has seen many deadly accidents. 80 fatal collisions have occurred on this 490-mile roadway between 2010 and 2016.
4. Interstate 5 in California
I-5 runs north to south starting at the Mexican border and stretching for 800 miles up to Oregon. The interstate provides a network of transportation for residents of Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and Santa Anna and crosses I-10 near Los Angeles. It comes as no surprise that the vast majority of fatal collisions happen in the city with some of the worst traffic in the world: Los Angeles. From 2010 to 2016, 680 fatal car crashes occurred on this highway.
Have You Been Injured In A Texas Car Accident?
If you've been hurt in a Texas car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.485.8888 to schedule your free consultation.
