We are the ones who are in control; we are the ones who can save lives by practicing common sense safe driving techniques and obeying all traffic laws. Every time we get in a vehicle, we're literally taking our lives into our own hands, and we may very well be causing the death of others.

In 2006, according to the NTSHA, Harris County accident fatalities for various types of collisions were: (see table below ).

2006 Fatalities Rank Within State Total 324 1 Alcohol-Related Crashes 207 1 Single Vehicle Crashes 180 1 Non-Junction Crashes 221 1 Within Intersection Crashes 56 1 Intersection-Related Crashes 17 2 Speeding Involved Crashes 132 1 Pedestrians 66 1 Pedalcyclists 5 1 Large Truck Involved Crashes 34 1 Roadway Departure Crashes 145 1 Passenger Car Occupants 115 1 Light Truck/Van Occupants 95 1 Total Occupants (not including Motorcycles) 212 1 Motorcycle Riders 37 1 Rank =1 indicates Highest Number of Fatalities or Fatality Rate in State.

Harris County ranked #1 in all but one of these categories, but it is also the most populous county. That translates to 8.34 deaths per 100,000 residents. There are even more deadly places to drive. Loving County, with only two fatalities, had 3333.33 deaths per 100,000 residents! Bexer, Dallas, Tarrant and Travis counties all had higher fatality rates than Harris County.

Alcohol related collisions are a serious problem in Harris County as well as in Texas and the nation as a whole. As seen in the chart above, 207 of the 324 fatalities were alcohol related. That means 2 out of 3 collisions that resulted in a fatality were alcohol related.

 

The Overall Traffic Problem: Traffic Safety Overall Defensive Class