Careful! Two Texas Highways Make Top 5 Deadliest List

If you live here, you know driving in Texas can be a challenge, as danger awaits around every corner. Turns out Texas is home to two of the deadliest interstates in the U.S.

A new study from the Austin based insurance marketplace, The Zebra, lists both I-20 and I-35 in the top 5 of "Most Dangerous Highways" in the country.

Buckle Up

Here's something you may not know: Despite the pandemic, 2020 was the deadliest year since 2007 for road fatalities.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that there were 1.37 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled - an increase of an estimated 7.2% from 2019.

Get our free mobile app

The study used 2019 data to determine the most dangerous roads because the NHTSA hasn't released all the info for 2020 and 2021 yet, but did find that I-95, which runs along the East Coast from Southern Florida to Northern Maine, was the deadliest with 284 deaths with 14.88 deaths every 100 miles.

Texas Interstates are Dangerous

To be fair, the study looked at roads, not states, but two of the top 5 deadliest interstates run right through Texas. I-20, which runs from South Carolina to West Texas, and goes right through the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, placed second on the list of deadliest roads with 208 fatalities in 2019. That's 13.52 per 100 miles.

Fasten Your Seatbelt on I-35

I-20 placed second, but I-35 was also top 5 landing at #5. This is the Interstate most of us in Central Texas drive on a regular basis. I-35 runs from Minnesota to South Texas, and had 197 fatalities with 12.56 traffic deaths per 100 miles in 2019.

I-35 runs through several major Texas cities with San Antonio, Austin and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex along its path. The Zebra also attributes the thousands of 18-wheelers that travel I-35 as one of the reasons.

#EndTheStreakTX

According to The Texas Department of Transportation, about 10 people die as a result of traffic accidents each day in the State of Texas. You may have seen the   #EndTheStreakTX campaign along the roadways while traveling. It's a sad reminder of just how bad it has gotten.

Texas Transportation Commissioner Laura Ryan says, “We all have the power to end the streak of daily deaths on Texas roadways.”  It really is up to us to be more careful on the roads.

What are the Most Dangerous Counties to Drive in Texas?

The numbers show that Dallas and Harris Counties are two of the most deadly in the country. Dallas County came in at number 8 with 10.19 fatalities per 100,000 people in 2019, while Harris County was number 10 on the list with 8.94 deaths per 100,000 people reported in 2019.

Knowledge is Power

With lots of folks traveling this holiday season, and many driving through Texas, pay extra attention while on the road and let's end the streak of daily deaths on Texas roadways.