Out of the 50 most dangerous roads in the United States, three of Houston’s roadways are in the ranks.
Recently, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA-FARS) reported on The Most Dangerous Highways in the US. These highways include:
- I-10: Ranked as the 5th most dangerous road in the U.S.
- US-59: Ranked as the 23rd most dangerous road in the U.S.
- US-290: Ranked as the 35th most dangerous road in the U.S.
The most dangerous section of I-10 stretches through Harris County and Houston.
According to data from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Houston saw 65,931 car accidents in 2023. More than 20,000 of these vehicle collisions involved injuries. Tragically, more than 250 of these accidents involved fatalities.
Houston Reports Highest Number of Non-Fatal Accidents
As the statistics state, most Houston vehicle collisions do not end in death, although they can result in serious injuries and totaled car values. However, most of these non-fatal accidents do tend to happen in clusters in the same areas.
The roads where the highest numbers of non-fatal crashes occur include:
- Airline Drive
- Antoine Drive
- Beechnut Road
- Bellaire Boulevard
- Bisonette Street
- Clay Road
- Cullen Boulevard
- Fondren Road
- Fry Road
- Garth Road
- Hillcroft Avenue
- Kuykendahl Road
- Louttea Road
- Main Street
- North Shephard Drive
- South Post Oak Road
- Veterans Memorial Drive
- West Little York Road
- West Tidwell Road
- Westheimer Road
Annually, these roads see hundreds, sometimes thousands, of non-fatal car crashes.
Every 100 miles of I-45 has seen Almost 60 Fatal Accidents
Interstate 45 runs through Houston, heading north from Galveston to Dallas. Data shows that every 100 miles of roadway has seen almost 60 fatal accidents. Certain sections of I-45 consistently make the most dangerous national and Texas roadways.
From 2020 to 2021, Houston outpaced all other Texas cities with a more than 20% increase in fatal crashes. In 2021, Texas had more than 4,100 fatal vehicle collisions. These collisions claimed 4,480 lives. This is a 14% increase from 2020, which reported 3,578 fatal crashes and 3,932 fatalities.
In 2021, Houston had 330 of these fatalities, up from 275 in 2020. This increase can be attributed in part to the hazards of I-45.
Pedestrian Fatalities Up 46% Over Past 5 Years
According to TXDOT’s 2023 crash records, Houston and Harris County saw a five-year high of vehicle collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians, with more than 1,500 incidents. Pedestrian fatalities were also up over the last five years, with 152 in 2022 and 146 in 2023, compared to 100 in 2019.
Most pedestrian accidents and fatalities occur at intersections. In Houston, there are certain intersections that tend to be more dangerous than others. These include:
- Gessner Road and Westview Drive
- Main Street and Pierce Street
- South Voss and Westheimer Road
- West Belfort Avenue and Fondren Road
- Wheeler and Main Street
Rush hour brings pedestrians and vehicles to these intersections in droves. These intersections have multiple lanes traveling in different directions.
In some areas, there are popular shopping locales with separate entrances and exits close to these intersections. As the traffic gets busier and draws more vehicles and pedestrians, the chances of collisions increase. These collisions generally result in expensive and serious injuries. Getting compensation for these injuries is highly dependent on determining fault in the an intersection accident.