These Texas cities are home to some of the worst drivers in the U.S., according to Forbes

Ella Gonzales
·3 min read
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Dallas comes in at sixth place, and Fort Worth at ninth in the Forbes list of 50 cities with the worst drivers. The data is based on five key metrics around fatalities in car accidents.

In the top 15, a third Texas city makes the list: San Antonio ranks at No.12. Not a surprising showing for a state of 30.5 million residents where a fatal car crash happens daily.

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These statistics should cause alarm in drivers. Late last year, six people, including two children, were killed and three others injured in a two-vehicle crash in Johnson County. Cleburne Assistant Fire Chief Keith Scarbrough told the Star-Telegram at the time that a minivan with Georgia license plates and a pickup were involved in the crash. Six out of the seven minivan passengers died, according to Scarbrough.

U.S. 67, the site of the wreck, is known for its fatal crashes. With only two lanes, the highway is dangerous to travel on as traffic volumes increase.

“It’s just constant,” Mac Bone, a business owner in Glen Rose, told the Star-Telegram about the crashes, injuries and fatalities near her home. “It’s death after death after death.”

Texas has a “Road to Zero” plan to cut the number of accident fatalities in half by 2035, and completely eliminate them by 2050.

Why Dallas and Fort Worth are ranked in top ten of cities with the worst drivers

The list was compiled using these five criteria, determining each city score per 100,000 people:

  • Number of fatal car accidents.

  • Number of fatal car accidents involving a drunk driver (blood alcohol concentration levels of 0.08+).

  • Number of fatal car accidents involving a distracted driver.

  • Number of fatal car accidents involving speeding.

  • Number of people killed in fatal crashes.

Dallas at No. 6 received a score of 90.97 out of 100, barely missing the No. 5 ranking. The city ranked:

  • Third in the U.S. for fatal accidents involving a drunk driver.

  • Fourth in the U.S. for fatal car accidents involving speeding.

  • Seventh in the U.S. for fatal car accidents overall.

  • Seventh in the U.S. for people killed in fatal accidents.

Fort Worth is not much better at No. 9. The 70.83 score was because of drunk driving, speeding, and texting.

  • Fifth in the U.S. for fatal accidents because of drunk driving.

  • 11th in the U.S, for fatal car accidents involving a distracted driver.

  • 12th in the U.S. for fatal car accidents involving speeding.

Fort Worth, Tarrant County, saw an increase of both car accidents and fatalities between 2022 and 2023. Out of the 215 fatalities, 120 of those were alcohol related.

Texas Driving Statistics

In 2023, there was more than one crash per minute in Texas.

  • Out of 558,953 crashes, 3,855 were fatal — accounting for 4,268 total deaths.

  • 169,203 accidents caused injuries resulting in 250,182 injuries overall in 2023.

Texas is the second largest state, trailing only California, but Texas cities prominently make the worst diving list. By comparison, California has three cities that rank on the best driving list according to Forbes.

There is a silver lining in Texas’ disappointing driving data: While the state’s population grew, fatal accidents shrunk.

“Although there were more crashes in Texas last year, the rate at which crashes increased was less than the rate that the population grew by.” according to versustexas.com.