Houston ranked 2nd deadliest city in US for holiday driving

HOUSTON – The holidays are here and according to a new study by the car insurance savings app Jerry, there has been an increase in traffic fatalities in Texas -- especially in Houston.

Based on the data, four cities in Texas -- Houston (#2), Dallas (#6), San Antonio (#8) and Fort Worth (#10) -- ranked amongst the 10 cities with the most traffic fatalities during the Christmas holiday. Los Angeles ranked #1.

Other key findings from Jerry’s study include:

• A deadly uptick. In 2021, the last year for which data is available, fatal traffic crashes during the Christmas holiday totaled 396, the most since 2018 and the third-highest number in the past decade.
• The worst days/times to be on the roads. The hours from 6 p.m. to midnight on Christmas Eve make up the deadliest six-hour stretch of the holiday period, with the most fatal crashes per hour seen from 6-8 p.m. Over the holiday period, the fewest fatal crashes occur in the early mornings between about 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
• Who’s behind the wheel? One in five (21%) drivers involved in fatal Christmas holiday crashes are men in their 20s and 36% are men in their 20s or 30s. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of all drivers involved in fatal Christmas crashes are men.
• Is speeding or drinking a factor? Nearly a third (30%) of all fatal crashes during the Christmas holiday involve speeding, while 27% involve drinking and 11% involve both.

All traffic data from the study was reportedly gathered through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and all population data was from the U.S. Census Bureau.