Houston Crash Statistics

According to TxDOT's latest statistics, more than 65,900 motor vehicle crashes occurred in Houston and the rest of Harris County. This means that more than 178 accidents happen daily, putting a strain on police and medical services. Rural areas in the state comprise 52.84% of the locations where accidents occurred.

The Texas Department of Transportation reported 15,219 injury collisions, including all types of traffic, such as motor vehicles, motorcyclists, bicycle riders, and pedestrians. The number of people who suffered incapacitating injuries in those collisions was 18,752.

A number of factors cause traffic collisions in Houston and the rest of Harris County, including the following:

• Speeding is a common cause of a traffic crash because it interferes with the driver’s ability to stop in an emergency. 
• Distractions such as texting, eating, or talking to a passenger remove the driver’s attention from the road ahead instead of concentrating on the road.
• Changing lanes without signaling or checking for traffic coming alongside is another common cause of traffic crashes.
• Running a stop sign or red light is a common cause of intersection accidents involving multiple vehicles.
• Tailgating can lead to severe collisions at intersections and highways when traffic slows down or stops.
• Drunk or drugged driving is a significant cause of accidents because the driver has slowed reflexes, lacks judgment, and can have impaired vision.

Houston reported 289 traffic fatalities in 2023. That same year, throughout the state, one person died about every two hours and three minutes, for a total of 4,283, which is lower than the previous year. In 2022, the death toll in traffic collisions reached 4,407. September 9th was the day when the fatality rate in traffic crashes was highest when 25 people lost their lives. The deadliest months were June and August, with a death toll of 390.

In 2023, there were 365 bicycle crashes involving motor vehicles, a substantial increase of 23% over the previous year. Of those, 16 resulted in fatalities. TxDOT reported that 56% of bicycle accidents in this period involved a motor vehicle. An increase also occurred in the number of pedestrian fatalities in accidents involving motor vehicles. Pedestrian fatality accidents numbered 146 in 2023, representing an increase over the 152 deaths of walkers that occurred in 2022.