Drunk driving, speed lead to deaths on Texas roads. Here’s what the numbers show

Ella Gonzales
·2 min read

Texas has more drunk driving deaths among U.S. states, according to a recent study by Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers. For every 10 drivers involved in a fatal crash in the state, more than four were found with blood alcohol content over the legal limit.

Not only did Texas top the list for drunk driving fatalities, but it also ranks No. 6 among U.S. states in the number of high speed crash deaths with 306.

The second highest state for drunk driving fatalities was Connecticut. Rhode Island, Montana, and Washington rounded out the top five. For high speed crashes, the five states that had higher rates of deaths were Montana, Alaska, Illinois, Connecticut, and Wyoming. Nationally, more than a quarter of drunk drivers are over the legal limit and more than 108,000 crashes were recorded due to high speeds.

“The data underscores a critical and ongoing issue on our roads: the devastating impact of alcohol impairment on road safety. It shows how likely high-risk behaviors are to lead to fatal outcomes but also underscores the potential for effective prevention strategies to save lives.” said Laborde Earle injury lawyers.

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Drinking, driving a bad mix on Texas roads

Here are drunk driving statistics in Texas that should scare you. In the U.S. you must be under the legal limit of 0.08 blood alcohol content to drive. These numbers were taken from data from 2017-2021.

  • 27,392 drunk drivers.

  • 11,185, 40.83%, drivers involved in fatal accidents who were over legal limit.

  • 7,682, 28.04%, surpassed 0.15 which is double the legal limit.

In Texas, speed kills

Here are the numbers on the high speed crashes in Texas. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration define high speed as 80 mph or faster.

  • Vehicles in fatal crashes with speed recorded: 2,192

  • Vehicles in fatal crashes that were traveling over 80 mph: 306

  • Percentage of Vehicles in fatal crashes that were traveling over 80 mph: 13.96%

  • Vehicles in fatal crashes that were traveling over 100 mph: 109

  • Percentage of Vehicles in fatal crashes that were traveling over 100 mph: 4.97%

A third of crashes involved speeds of over 100 mph.