Most Dangerous Roads in Texas
- Top Dangerous Roads in Texas
- Road Damage Due to Heavy Truck Traffic in Texas
- Texas VS. U.S. Accident Trend 1975-Present
- Types of Highway Hazards in South Texas
- Our Experienced Legal Team Cares About Texas Driversā Safety
- Our Dangerous Road Accident Lawyers Helps Accident Victims
- Speak with an attorney serving all of Texas
While operating a vehicle on dangerous roads requires some caution and defensive driving skills on the part of a responsible driver, a driver may not always be able to avoid an accident if a road is in poor condition. Some roads should be driven with caution or avoided when possible:
Dallas, Texas ranks number 1 in Texas for having the most dangerous roads, according to a study by MoneyGeek, Some of the roads mentioned below pass through Dallas and are considered very dangerous.
Top 4 Most Dangerous Road in Texas
1. I-45
I-45 is the most dangerous road in Texas and the second-most dangerous road in the country. Connecting Galveston to Houston and extending to Dallas, the highway averaged 56.5 fatal accidents per 100 miles over an eight-year study conducted by the Accident Data Center. Harris County is the most dangerous section of I-45, seeing 115 traffic fatalities including 11 deaths in interstate traffic accidents in one recent year.
2. I-35
Interstate 35, which stretches 400 miles across Texas, had 290 fatalities in the last five years, making it one of the most dangerous highways in Texas, according to the Houston Chronicle. Road construction projects are frequent and if drivers are not paying attention, accidents can happen quickly, causing multiple vehicle accidents.
3. U.S. Highway 83
Highway 83, which extends through McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley, had 135 traffic fatalities during the last five years and ranks among the most dangerous roads in Texas, according to the Houston Chronicle.
4. 85 MPH Highway
A stretch of State Highway 130 between San Antonio and Austin has a speed limit of 85 miles per hour. Many drivers have happy to have an alternate route to the bumper-to-bumper battle of I-35 and their commute time will be reduced.
Still, it goes without saying that drivers are more likely to get into accidents the faster they are driving. Driving at high speeds can be difficult for even the most experienced drivers.
Negligent driving and other driver-related offenses are not solely responsible for accidents that occur in Texas. In a large state, poorly maintained roads may contribute to more accidents than are reported.
Dangerous Road Conditions
Dangerous road conditions are a major contributing factor in the number, severity and economic costs of traffic accidents in Texas.
Car accidents and truck accidents involving dangerous road conditions can occur because of:
- The poor surface condition of a road
- Improper design
- Lack of adequate marking or signage
- Inadequate guardrails
- Vegetation blocking sightlines
- Or poor traffic control in work zones.
A driver injured in a traffic accident may not recognize the contribution that road conditions made to a traffic accident. It may require an independent investigation by a knowledgeable Texas auto accident attorney working with traffic accident reconstruction experts to identify contributing factors such as road conditions.
Our car accident attorneys at Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C., can analyze your accident and determine whether dangerous road conditions contributed to the crash.
If a car accident occurred because of a dangerous road condition, the agency responsible for designing or maintaining it or a negligent road construction contractor may be held accountable. You may be entitled to seek compensation for your injuries.
Road Damage Due to Heavy Truck Traffic in Texas
Many Texas roadways and bridges have experienced heavier use and more rapid deterioration of pavement due to high volumes of heavily loaded trucks and increased oil field truck traffic over the last ten years, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
The energy sector has a positive impact on the economy of Corpus Christi and the state of Texas, but the hundreds of oil and gas drilling rigs generate a large volume of truck traffic.
Researchers estimate that development and early production of an oil well will generate about 1,000 to 4,000 loaded trucks trips per well. That heavy truck traffic causes accelerated damage to the network of roads that serve hundreds of wells.
Transportation researchers estimate the repair costs for state and local roadways in Texas at $2 billion a year. The impact from heavy truck traffic has increased the cost of road maintenance on farm-to-market roads in some parts of Texas from $500 to $1,500 per mile before energy development to $35,000 to $45,000 per mile.
The high volume of oil field trucks in the Eagle Ford Shale region of south Texas contributed to 3,360 crashes involving serious injuries or fatalities in a single recent year, according to TxDOT.
Bridges
In Texas, there are 7,488 functionally obsolete bridges and 1,194 structurally deficient bridges.
Road Surface Conditions
In Texas in 2019, there were 1,126 crashes involving roads with standing water.
Road Violations – Seatbelts
42% of Texas motorists in fatal accidents in 2019 did not wear seat belts.
Texas VS. U.S. Accident Trend 1975-Present
Fatality Rate Per 100 Million Vehicle Miles
In 2019, there were 1.26 fatalities in Texas per 100 million vehicle miles, or 3,610 in total. That equates to one death every 2.5 hours.
There were 1.08 fatalities in the U.S per 100 million vehicle miles.
At Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C., we advocate for safe roads and safe drivers. If you have been injured in an accident related to dangerous road conditions, we take your claim seriously and will act quickly and aggressively. Your safety matters to us.
Types of Highway Hazards in Texas
There are a number of ways in which deficient roads can pose hazards for motorists, including:
 Potholes |  Shoulder drop-off |
 Grooved, worn and uneven surfaces |  Debris on the road |
 Poor drainage |  Inadequate signage or lighting |
 Poorly marked construction zones |
In construction zones, signs should be clearly and properly posted to direct drivers away from construction hazards. Motorists are often trying to navigate an unfamiliar array of signs, orange barrels, and lane changes. Many crashes in works zones are caused by driversā speeding or being inattentive.
But some are caused by inadequate directional signage. Drivers and passengers are endangered when signage is lacking, inadequate or improperly located, and serious or fatal accidents can result.
Texas had by far the highest number of work zone crash fatalities of any state in 2019. There were more than 26,000 work zone crashes and 168 deaths, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. There are approximately 2,500 TxDOT work zones across the state at any given time, according to the TxDOT.
Our Experienced Legal Team Cares About Texas Driversā Safety
While each road in Texas may be potentially dangerous, it is up to drivers to pay attention to the road and proceed with caution when a road seems to be poorly maintained or is under construction.
While many ādangerous roadsā are due to the actual structure of the road, the drivers who navigate the roads make them even more dangerous. Before heading out, pay attention to road construction updates as well as traffic updates. Keep yourself out of danger when possible.
At Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C., we understand how stressful driving on dangerous roads can be and we are prepared to help you recover any losses if you have been injured in an accident on one of the dangerous roads in Texas. Our knowledgeable legal team has decades of experience and is prepared for a challenge.
Our Dangerous Road Accident Lawyers Helps Accident Victims
At Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C., our dangerous roads and highways accident attorneys help people who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents caused by dangerous road and highway conditions.
If you have suffered such an accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses, including medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages and property damage. Our seasoned personal injury lawyers have successfully resolved more than 20,000 cases.
When you work with our firm, we investigate your accident and determine who is responsible for your injuries. We team up with industry experts to establish the facts in your case and the events surrounding your accident. In many cases, we pursue claims against private construction contractors who failed to provide adequate protection for motorists on dangerous or unfinished roads.
We handle cases in which roadway dangers and defects cause:
Speak with a Texas car accident attorney in to discuss your car wreck claim.
Our dedicated legal team has more than 100 years of combined experience. We have a long list of successful case results for our clients. You can have confidence that we will find out who is liable for your injuries and aggressively pursue the maximum compensation you are entitled to receive.
Contact us today to set up an appointment for a free initial consultation to assess your legal rights. Donāt delay. We are here to help you protect your rights.
Our firm has offices in the following locations: Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi South Side, Brownsville, McAllen, San Antonio, Houston, and Ft. Worth, TX
Sources:
- Texas A&M Transportation Institute
- Texas Department of Transportation
