How often do motor vehicle accidents happen in Texas?

Driving is a part of our everyday lives. We get in the car to go to work, take the kids to school and go grocery shopping. Whether staying in the neighborhood or taking a road trip across the state of Texas, for most people, driving a car is just a routine part of their days.

However, just because it’s routine, does not mean that it’s danger-free. In fact, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, people are injured or killed in accidents every single day.

Looking back to 2014 — the last year comprehensive data is available for the state — the transportation department reports that a motorist was killed once every two hours and 29 minutes. Another was injured every two minutes and 13 seconds and a “reportable” crash happened every 66 seconds. These numbers speak for themselves: Accidents can and do happen, all of the time.

There is no one thing causing these accidents either, although, there are some frightening trends, including:

• In 2014, of the people killed in motor vehicle accidents, almost 30 percent involved a driver who was under the influence.
• DUI accidents are more likely to happen in the early morning hours, presumably the time many are leaving bars and parties. According to the same transportation report, there were more DUI crashes between 2 a.m. and 2:59 a.m. than any other time of the day
• Drunk driving is not the only danger. Distracted driving also increases the risk of getting into an accident. In 2014, 483 people died in accidents involving a distracted driver. This is a 4 percent increase in the number of distracted driving fatalities from the previous year.

Hearing these statistics can certainly be alarming at first. While we may like to think that all drivers are being safe and responsible — and realize just how dangerous drunk or distracted driving can be — the sad truth is that there are plenty of drivers who still risk it. Many think they are invincible, or that an accident will not happen to them, but then it does.

When others are hurt in accidents — other innocent drivers — know that options are available. At The Law Firm of Ted B. Lyon & Associates, we push hard to hold negligent drivers accountable for their actions. We focus our efforts on all types of motor vehicle accidents, specifically including those involving drunk or distracted drivers.