Dallas and Houston deadliest for driving on Memorial Day

HOUSTON – Memorial Day and the days surrounding it are some of the busiest days of the year.

About 28.4 million Americans are expected to travel by car on Memorial Day, a 4% increase from last year. A new study by car insurance savings app Jerry suggests that drivers in Texas, primarily in Houston and Dallas, should consider taking extra precautions.

Looking at the years 2018 through 2022, Jerry said he found that Texas had the highest number of traffic-related deaths over the holiday weekend and had the two deadliest cities in the country for driving during that time. period: Houston and Dallas.

The study found that during those years, Texas had the most traffic-related deaths on Memorial Day, with 218, followed by California with 181, Florida with 180, and Georgia with 79.

During those years, the study says Houston led the nation in traffic-related deaths with 20, followed by Dallas with 19. Those two Texas cities, according to Jerry, were ahead of Indianapolis with 18, Chicago with 16 and Los Angeles with 12.

When you look on a per capita basis, Texas is not in the top 10. The highest number of traffic fatalities per capita was Delaware with 1.31. That’s per 100,000 people, followed by North Dakota (1.16), West Virginia (1.12) and South Carolina (1.07).

Here are other national trends reported by Jerry.

• Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Memorial Day weekend traffic fatalities were men, and of those, 33% were men under 40 years old. The study also found that among all Memorial Day weekend traffic fatalities, 33 percent were men and women under 40 years old. 30.
• Alcohol also plays a role, according to the study. The study found that 72% of fatal accidents involving speeding also involved at least one driver who had been drinking.
• It was also found that Saturday evening, between 11 p.m. and midnight, is the deadliest period of the bank holiday weekend. This is followed from midnight Saturday until 1 a.m.

There are more results from the study here.

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