What are the Leading Causes of Traffic Collisions in Texas?

Texas is known for its wide-open roads and sprawling highways, but it also leads the nation in one troubling category: traffic fatalities. Every year, thousands of crashes occur across the state, many of which could have been prevented with greater awareness and safer driving habits. Understanding what causes these collisions is the first step in reducing them and saving lives.

Texas faces unique road safety challenges due to high traffic volumes on interstates and rural roads alike, diverse driving environments, rapid population growth, and frequent extreme weather. Knowing the top collision causes is crucial for improving public awareness, shaping better driving habits, and helping law enforcement target high-risk behaviors. Ultimately, understanding why crashes happen is the key to preventing them.

Distracted Driving

We live in a world where multitasking is second nature, but behind the wheel, it can be deadly. Distracted driving continues to be one of the most serious threats on Texas roads, responsible for thousands of crashes each year. Let’s break down what it really means, why it’s so dangerous, and how to help stop it.

Distracted driving is any activity that takes your attention away from the road. This includes texting or talking on the phone, adjusting the radio or navigation, eating, grooming, or even chatting with passengers. In 2024, about one in five crashes were caused by a distracted driver in which 373 fatalities occurred and 2,587 were seriously injured. The core issue? Distracted drivers have slower reaction times and reduced situational awareness, often reacting too late to avoid a collision.

So how can we help prevent it? Here are some key prevention tips:

Use hands-free devices or pull over to take calls or send messages.
Keep in-car tech use to a minimum. Adjust music or navigation before driving.
Educate yourself and others, especially teen and inexperienced drivers, about the risks of multitasking behind the wheel.

Eliminating distractions is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to improve safety for everyone on the road.

Driving Under the Influence (DUI)

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs remains one of the most devastating and preventable causes of traffic fatalities in Texas. DUI refers to operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs, or certain prescription medications that affect mental clarity, coordination, and decision-making. About 25.37% of the total number of people killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes involved a driver that was under the influence of alcohol.

Alcohol and drugs impair essential driving functions such as judgement, coordination, and reaction time. Drivers under the influence are more likely to misjudge distances, run red lights, and swerve into oncoming traffic, making DUI a leading cause of severe and fatal crashes.

What can be done to prevent DUI crashes?

Encourage the use of designated drivers or rideshare services like Uber and Lyft when consuming alcohol.
Launch targeted public awareness campaigns to highlight the dangers and legal consequences of driving under the influence.

Choosing to drive sober, or not drive at all, is one of the simplest ways to protect not just yourself, but everyone else on the road.

Speeding

Speeding is one of the most common and most underestimated risk factors on Texas roads. Whether it’s rushing to work, pushing the limits on an open highway, or ignoring weather conditions, speeding plays a major role in serious and fatal crashes.

Speeding includes both driving over the posted speed limit and driving too fast for current road, traffic, or weather conditions. It’s not just illegal—it’s incredibly dangerous. In 2023, Texas experienced 1,459 deaths directly attributed to speeding. When a driver speeds, it significantly reduces their ability to react to sudden hazards such as stalled vehicles, pedestrians, or sharp turns. Additionally, the faster a vehicle is moving at the time of a crash, the greater the force of impact, which increases the risk of serious injury or death.

Educating drivers about adjusting their speed based on conditions like rain, fog, construction, or heavy traffic and implementing traffic calming measures like speed bumps will help prevent collisions and keep the road safe.

Failure to Yield Right of Way

It’s a simple rule that every driver learns early on: yield when required. Yet failure to yield the right of way remains a significant cause of traffic collisions, especially in busy intersections and merging lanes. This occurs when a driver does not allow other vehicles or pedestrians to proceed as required by traffic laws, whether it’s at a stop sign, crosswalk, roundabout, or during a merge.

For example:

A driver turning left at a green light fails to wait for oncoming traffic.
A car merging onto a freeway doesn’t give way to vehicles already on the road.
A motorist drives through a pedestrian crosswalk without stopping.

These moments may seem small, but they can have devastating consequences.

Fortunately, this is a problem we can reduce. Many drivers forget or never fully learned the rules around yielding. Driver education programs, especially those targeting new drivers or those renewing licenses, should emphasize right of way scenarios and include real world examples.

Stricter enforcement is key as well. When drivers know that failure to yield will result in fines, they’re more likely to take the rule seriously. Targeted enforcement in high-risk areas can reduce violations significantly.

Unsafe Lane Changes

We’ve all seen it or maybe even done it ourselves. A quick swerve into the next lane, no signal, no mirror check, just hoping the space is clear. It might seem harmless in the moment, but unsafe lane changes are one of the most preventable causes of traffic accidents on the road today.

An unsafe lane change happens when a driver switches lanes without following proper safety steps, such as failing to use a turn signal, not checking mirrors or blind spots, or weaving between lanes aggressively or unpredictably. These behaviors are not only dangerous, they’re illegal in many places.

The consequences of unsafe lane changes go far beyond a dented bumper. They can lead to:

Side impact collisions, which often occur at high speeds and leave little room for reaction
Rollovers, especially involving SUVs or trucks that shift balance quickly
Multi-vehicle crashes, as one bad decision can ripple into surrounding traffic

And just like that, a quick lane switch becomes a major emergency.

The good news? Avoiding this type of crash is surprisingly simple if drivers stick to the basics. Before making any lane change, take the time to check all mirrors and check your blind spots. Blind spot monitoring systems help, but nothing replaces manual checks.

Turn signals are a basic yet powerful communication tool on the road. They let other drivers know what you’re planning to do and give them time to react safely. Use them every time you change lanes, no exceptions.

Weather Conditions

Adverse weather conditions like rain, fog, and ice can turn a routine drive into a high-risk situation. While we can’t control the forecast, we can control how we respond to it. Rain can reduce visibility and cause hydroplaning, fog hides road markings and approaching vehicles, and ice turns the pavement slippery, especially on bridges and overpasses.

Bad weather doesn’t just make it harder to see, it affects how quickly you can stop and how much time you have to react. And while distracted driving often takes center stage in crash statistics, it’s important to understand how weather makes a bad situation worse. In 2024, about 17,967 total crashes occurred due to weather conditions.

You can’t wish away the weather, but a few smart habits can make a big difference when conditions get rough. Some tips to keep in mind when driving in adverse weather:

Slow down — driving at or below the speed limit gives you more time to react and reduces stopping distance.
Increase the following distance — leave extra space between your car and the one in front.
Check your tires and wipers — good traction and clear visibility are your best friends in bad weather.
Stay informed —- use apps or radio stations that provide real-time weather updates and alerts for your route.

By adjusting your driving habits and preparing your vehicle, you can greatly reduce your risk during adverse conditions.

Injured in a Crash? We’re Here to Help.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident due to distracted driving, speeding, DUI, or any of the other causes discussed above, you don’t have to navigate the legal aftermath alone. At Thomas J. Henry Law, we specialize in helping accident victims secure the compensation they deserve. Our experienced team will guide you every step of the way so you can focus on healing while we handle the rest. Contact us today for a free case review. Don’t wait—your rights and recovery matter. Let us fight for you.