Texas is a big state. One of the biggest in our union and the highways are no different with more than 675,000 culminated lane miles across the entire state.
That is more lane miles than any other state in our great country!
Even though we have a lot of lane miles, Texas doesn’t have the most dangerous highways. But, any truck driver that has rolled across any of Texas’s deadliest roads knows that there is a ton of traffic and plenty of nasty collisions.
The good news is that Texas has seen a drop in large truck accidents but with the study of the data across the U.S, there were over 180,000 injuries and 119,000 crashes in 2016 with cars and trucks!
Now, not all of those numbers can be pinned upon Texas’s highways but Texas has had its fair share of trucking accidents and fatalities due to some of the nation’s most dangerous roads.
Here are just some of Texas’s most dangerous and deadliest highways.
• U.S. Highway 90 – This stretch of highway stretches 660 miles across Texas from East to West and in the years 2010-2014 claimed the lives of 95 individuals.
• U.S. Highway 59 – This highway definitely ranks as one the deadliest stretches of road. This Texas highway runs 611 miles and is south of the Houston metro area. Sadly, this road has taken 368 lives since 2010.
• U.S. Highway 67 – This long patch of lanes stretches 637 miles and from the data gathered in the years 2010-2015 took over 180 lives.
• Interstate 35. (I-35) – This Texas highway is famous for being dangerous and has record of multiple three or more truck pileups recorded. From 2010-2015 there has been over 350 fatalities over the span of this 407 miles of Texas highway.
Studies of vehicle accidents and fatalities across the US have shown that 10% of the car and truck accidents happened on Texas Highways. And approximately 62% of them were on the states interstates.
Breaking it down even closer there are specific stretches of highways at specific mile points that rank as some of the deadliest. For example one of the snarliest stretches is the 1.49 miles of 1-69C in Edinburg Texas. This piece of road lies just north of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus.
This section of highway has seen twelve fatalities between 2013 and 2015. There have been at least seven fatal crashes in this short span of highway. Incredibly per mile, that’s an average of 8 fatalities per mile. That is way too many lives that have been lost in this short area.
One of the highest ranked deadliest highways that appears on the list more than any other interstate is Texas’s I- 35. This highway has eleven different stretches of the interstate, as far north as Fort Worth and as far south as Cotulla Texas.
Interstate 35 is at the top for being the most convenient way to move north and south across Texas and combines convenience alongside catastrophe with treacherous stretches that have claimed countless lives. Head on crashes and large truck accidents abound.
Why is this highway so dangerous?
For starters, I-35 is the major entry and exit points for Hays, Travis and McLennan counties which just so happen to be the most deadly locations for motorists in Texas. But what makes this Interstate so dangerous isn’t what you think. It’s not the excessive amount of traffic or reckless motorists. The highway has become a deathtrap because of a culmination of congestion and heavy loads of 18 wheeler trucks carrying goods from Mexico.
This started with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which was a legislation that did away with tariffs on most goods coming and going to Mexico. This gave an invitation for more truck traffic and thus increasing accidents due to trucks moving faster for larger payday.
If you are one of those unfortunate ones who have been involved in an accident on any of these Texas Highways we can help. Securing an experienced truck accident personal injury attorney in Houston is critical. Time is of the essence. We can help ensure your rights are protected and you get the damages you truly deserve.
Call Attorney McClure today for a FREE Case Evaluation. Let us help you get the answers and compensation you need.
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