(Stacker) – Media outlets were quick during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdowns that defined the summer and fall of 2020 to note just how little traffic there was as a result. Simple logic would suggest that less traffic equals a lower likelihood of accidents and thus fewer injuries and fatalities. Sadly, this was not the case.
Nationwide, traffic fatalities rose 7.2% in 2020 to nearly 39,000. That number was the highest recorded since 2007.
Citing data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Stacker identified the counties in Texas that had the most fatalities from motor vehicle crashes in 2020.
The number of accident fatalities are ranked by the number of deaths per 100,000 people, with the raw number functioning as a tiebreaker. The analysis only looked at counties with at least five deaths during 2020.
#25. Live Oak County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 52.7 per 100K people (#125 nationally, 6 deaths)
– 1 pedestrian death
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 1 death involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#24. Blanco County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 53.0 per 100K people (#124 nationally, 6 deaths)
– 2 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#23. Jackson County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 53.4 per 100K people (#122 nationally, 8 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#22. Upshur County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 53.9 per 100K people (#120 nationally, 22 deaths)
– 1 pedestrian death
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#21. Nolan County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 54.3 per 100K people (#116 nationally, 8 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#20. Newton County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 55.9 per 100K people (#104 nationally, 7 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 1 death involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#19. Freestone County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 56.5 per 100K people (#101 nationally, 11 deaths)
– 1 pedestrian death
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 1 death involving drunk drivers
– Road with most fatalities: I-45 (6 fatalities)
#18. Runnels County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 60.7 per 100K people (#88 nationally, 6 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 2 deaths involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#17. Scurry County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 64.8 per 100K people (#77 nationally, 11 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 1 death involving drunk drivers
– Road with most fatalities: US-180 (7 fatalities)
#16. Gonzales County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 65.9 per 100K people (#75 nationally, 13 deaths)
– 2 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#15. Eastland County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 67.5 per 100K people (#69 nationally, 12 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#14. Dimmit County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 67.9 per 100K people (#65 nationally, 6 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 1 death involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#13. Ward County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 70.3 per 100K people (#60 nationally, 8 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 1 death involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#12. Fayette County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 77.7 per 100K people (#49 nationally, 19 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 0 deaths involving drunk drivers
– Road with most fatalities: I-10 (6 fatalities)
#11. Reeves County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 89.1 per 100K people (#34 nationally, 13 deaths)
– 1 pedestrian death
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 0 deaths involving drunk drivers
– Road with most fatalities: I-10 (5 fatalities)
#10. Winkler County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 104.9 per 100K people (#21 nationally, 8 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 3 deaths involving drunk drivers
– Road with most fatalities: SR-302 (6 fatalities)
#9. Martin County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 115.1 per 100K people (#15 nationally, 6 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 0 deaths involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#8. Crane County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 128.9 per 100K people (#12 nationally, 6 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 0 deaths involving drunk drivers
– Road with most fatalities: US-385 (5 fatalities)
#7. Kimble County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 139.7 per 100K people (#11 nationally, 6 deaths)
– 1 pedestrian death
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 0 deaths involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#6. Carson County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 153.7 per 100K people (#8 nationally, 9 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 4 deaths involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#5. Real County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 175.3 per 100K people (#6 nationally, 5 deaths)
– 1 pedestrian death
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 1 death involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#4. Oldham County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 266.5 per 100K people (#5 nationally, 6 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 0 deaths involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#3. Hudspeth County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 270.9 per 100K people (#4 nationally, 9 deaths)
– 0 pedestrian deaths
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 0 deaths involving drunk drivers
– Road with most fatalities: I-10 (5 fatalities)
#2. Sherman County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 297.0 per 100K people (#3 nationally, 7 deaths)
– 1 pedestrian death
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 1 death involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
#1. Crockett County, Texas
– Motor vehicle crash fatalities: 340.3 per 100K people (#2 nationally, 10 deaths)
– 1 pedestrian death
– 0 bicyclist deaths
– 1 death involving drunk drivers
– No roads with at least five fatalities
