Texas Fatal Truck Accident Statistics
Texas had a total of 3,516 fatal traffic accidents in 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The numbers have held steady since 2011 with only minor fluctuations. The average number of fatalities per 100,000 population have increased slightly over this time period with Texas coming in at 12.80 for 2015 as compared to the national average of 10.92.
Truck crash fatalities have increased similarly with some dramatic changes in certain categories. For pickup trucks, the number of fatalities has gone up from 558 in 2011 to 618 in 2015. However, the number is down from 2014, which had 693 deaths.
Utility truck-related deaths have also increased from 380 in 2011 to 474 in 2015. The number of vans involved in fatal traffic accidents has seen the smallest change with 81 in 2011 and 88 in 2015. This number is down from the high point in 2012, which had 117. Large truck-related deaths have seen a dramatic increase from 69 in 2011 to 100 in 2015. However, this number is less than in 2012 when there were 135 deaths. Buses have been involved in 17 deaths in 2015, which is a major increase from just two in 2011, 2012 and 2014. Only 2013 had a higher number with seven.
Harris County had the highest number of large truck fatalities with 25, which was a slight decrease while Dallas County came in second with 23, which was up from previous years. Harris County was also first for light truck fatalities with 88 while Dallas was second again with 50. Tarrant County took the third spot with 38, which was just above Bexar County with 35. While Harris County had a significant decrease, Dallas County saw a slight increase from the previous year for deaths involving large trucks.