Here’s a sobering statistic that could make you see your daily commute in a whole new light: Every day since Nov. 7, 2020, there’s at least one traffic fatality on the roads in Texas. On average, however, there are around 10.

The Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) said that it had hoped to see the number of roadway fatalities drop in numbers that corresponded to the recent dearth of traffic. Unfortunately, the low volume of traffic the week of April 4-10 didn’t translate to a low volume of traffic deaths.

Traffic declined as much as 55% throughout the state in periods selected for comparison to last year’s traffic data, but the number of traffic fatalities only dropped a bare 3.35%. Some days the rates even exceeded the usual norm, with up to 12 fatalities in a day.

Why are there still so many fatalities when there’s so much less traffic? Nobody can say for certain, although there is some evidence that speeders may be part of the problem. The relatively empty streets have led some drivers to try to reenact their favorite “Fast & Furious” scenes with their cars. High-speed wrecks are, naturally, far more likely to result in catastrophic injuries and deaths than low-speed accidents.

The DOT is working on measures, including education campaigns, that are designed to help Texas become a safer place for drivers — but it doesn’t look like much progress has been made as of yet. Even though you do your part to keep the roads safe, it’s smart to be conscious of the tremendous number of drivers out there who aren’t doing the same. If you end up in a wreck due to someone else’s negligence or reckless driving, find out more about how to seek compensation for your losses.

Posted in Car Accidents