Skip to main content
Data report Published October 7, 2026By Ray H., A-LA Auto Insurance

Fewer Crashes, More Deaths: Texas Traffic Deaths Rose 14.6% From 2019 to 2024 Even as Crashes Fell, and a Third of Fatal Crashes Happen After 6 p.m.

Data: TxDOT Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics, 2019 and 2024 (CR-3 crash reports).

The short answer

Texas had 554,146 reportable crashes in 2024, 1.4% fewer than in 2019, but 4,150 traffic deaths, 14.6% more. In Dallas County, crashes fell 16.4% while deaths rose 22.1%. Crashes peak at the evening rush, but fatal crashes peak later: 34.2% happen between 6 p.m. and midnight.

We compared TxDOT's county crash tables for 2019, the last year before the pandemic, with 2024, the newest year with county detail, and broke down every 2024 Texas crash by hour and day of the week. The focus is Dallas–Fort Worth and San Antonio, where A-LA's offices are.

  • 4,150

    Texas traffic deaths in 2024

    +14.6% vs. 2019

  • −1.4%

    change in Texas reportable crashes, 2024 vs. 2019

    554,146 in 2024

  • +22.1%

    change in Dallas County deaths, even as crashes fell

    crashes −16.4%

  • 34.2%

    of fatal crashes happen between 6 p.m. and midnight

    Texas, 2024

Key findings

  1. Fewer crashes, more deaths statewide. Texas recorded 562,260 reportable crashes and 3,622 deaths in 2019, and 554,146 crashes and 4,150 deaths in 2024: crashes -1.4%, deaths +14.6%. Deaths did fall 3.29% from 4,291 in 2023. (TxDOT county report, 2019; 2024; Crash Facts 2024)
  2. Dallas County: crashes down 16.4%, deaths up 22.1%. Reportable crashes fell from 55,354 to 46,257, but deaths rose from 271 to 331, the most of any county in our study area. Dallas County also had 1,648 people with suspected serious injuries in 2024. (TxDOT report 13)
  3. The same pattern holds in Tarrant and Bexar. Tarrant County crashes fell 13.6% while deaths rose 16.9% (to 201). Bexar County crashes fell 4.5% while deaths rose 19.4% (to 215). Bexar logged 48,522 crashes in 2024, more than any other county in our study area. (TxDOT 2019; 2024)
  4. Crashes peak at rush hour; deaths peak at night. The busiest hour in 2024 was 5 to 5:59 p.m. (44,644 crashes). The deadliest was 9 to 9:59 p.m. (243 fatal crashes). The hours from 6 p.m. to midnight held 34.2% of fatal crashes but only 23.6% of non-fatal ones, and midnight to 5 a.m. held 21% of fatal crashes versus 7.6% of non-fatal ones. (TxDOT report 17)
  5. Friday has the most crashes; Saturday the most fatal ones. Friday saw 91,162 crashes in 2024. Saturday had 675 fatal crashes, and the weekend together had 34.1% of the year's 3,762 fatal crashes. (TxDOT report 17)
  6. In Bexar County, more than 1 in 3 crash reports cite a distracted driver. Distracted driving was involved in 36.6% of Bexar County's 2024 crashes (17,761), compared with 16.5% statewide. Speed was involved in 24.9% of Dallas County crashes and 28.6% statewide. (TxDOT report 32; report 22) These shares depend on how officers record contributing factors, which can differ between agencies.

County data: Dallas–Fort Worth and San Antonio

Fewer crashes, more deaths: change from 2019 to 2024Change in crashesChange in deathsLeft = down, right = upDallas: crashes −16.4%, deaths +22.1%; Tarrant: crashes −13.6%, deaths +16.9%; Collin: crashes +10.8%, deaths +43.1%; Denton: crashes +1.7%, deaths −3.8%; Bexar: crashes −4.5%, deaths +19.4%; Texas: crashes −1.4%, deaths +14.6%
  • Dallas−16.4%+22.1%
  • Tarrant−13.6%+16.9%
  • Collin+10.8%+43.1%
  • Denton+1.7%−3.8%
  • Bexar−4.5%+19.4%
  • Texas−1.4%+14.6%

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Crashes, deaths and factors by county, 2019 and 2024
CountyAreaCrashes 2019Crashes 2024ChangeDeaths 2019Deaths 2024ChangeSerious injuries 2024Speed-involved shareDistracted-driver share
DallasDFW55,35446,257−16.4%271331+22.1%1,64824.9%13.0%
TarrantDFW32,50728,074−13.6%172201+16.9%98326.6%24.2%
CollinDFW13,85715,348+10.8%5173+43.1%37529.1%16.8%
DentonDFW12,12712,339+1.7%5250−3.8%34130.1%15.0%
EllisDFW2,7843,861+38.7%2741+51.9%15930.3%22.7%
JohnsonDFW2,4212,734+12.9%3920−48.7%11932.8%21.4%
KaufmanDFW2,0052,586+29.0%3123−25.8%13931.2%22.6%
ParkerDFW2,2012,587+17.5%2635+34.6%13631.3%25.1%
RockwallDFW1,5812,362+49.4%35+66.7%5127.6%24.1%
BexarSan Antonio50,80148,522−4.5%180215+19.4%89715.5%36.6%
ComalSan Antonio2,2112,831+28.0%2022+10.0%13231.5%21.5%
GuadalupeSan Antonio2,4703,108+25.8%1518+20.0%14928.0%28.1%
TexasStatewide562,260554,146−1.4%3,6224,150+14.6%18,21828.6%16.5%

Small counties have few deaths, so their percent changes swing widely from year to year. Speed and distracted shares = report 22 and report 32 crash counts divided by total crashes. Sources: TxDOT report 13 (2019), (2024), report 22, report 32.

When crashes happen

When crashes happen: share of fatal vs. non-fatal crashes by hour, Texas 2024Fatal crashesNon-fatal crashesBar chart by hour. The hour with the most fatal crashes is 9–9:59 p.m. (243). The hour with the most crashes overall is 5–5:59 p.m. (44,644). From 6 p.m. to midnight come 34.2% of fatal crashes but 23.6% of non-fatal ones.
  1. 12 a.m.187 / 10,146 (fatal / non-fatal)
  2. 1 a.m.170 / 8,586 (fatal / non-fatal)
  3. 2 a.m.211 / 10,093 (fatal / non-fatal)
  4. 3 a.m.127 / 6,716 (fatal / non-fatal)
  5. 4 a.m.96 / 6,108 (fatal / non-fatal)
  6. 5 a.m.161 / 10,428 (fatal / non-fatal)
  7. 6 a.m.159 / 18,779 (fatal / non-fatal)
  8. 7 a.m.126 / 30,379 (fatal / non-fatal)
  9. 8 a.m.108 / 27,555 (fatal / non-fatal)
  10. 9 a.m.92 / 21,907 (fatal / non-fatal)
  11. 10 a.m.100 / 22,319 (fatal / non-fatal)
  12. 11 a.m.97 / 25,967 (fatal / non-fatal)
  13. 12 p.m.114 / 30,899 (fatal / non-fatal)
  14. 1 p.m.112 / 30,647 (fatal / non-fatal)
  15. 2 p.m.152 / 32,812 (fatal / non-fatal)
  16. 3 p.m.150 / 39,144 (fatal / non-fatal)
  17. 4 p.m.159 / 43,732 (fatal / non-fatal)
  18. 5 p.m.156 / 44,488 (fatal / non-fatal)
  19. 6 p.m.227 / 36,289 (fatal / non-fatal)
  20. 7 p.m.210 / 25,743 (fatal / non-fatal)
  21. 8 p.m.225 / 20,963 (fatal / non-fatal)
  22. 9 p.m.243 / 18,876 (fatal / non-fatal)
  23. 10 p.m.194 / 15,896 (fatal / non-fatal)
  24. 11 p.m.186 / 11,912 (fatal / non-fatal)

Numbers on the right: fatal crashes / non-fatal crashes in that hour.

Crashes by day of week, Texas 2024Friday has the most crashes overall (91,162). Saturday has the most fatal crashes (675). Saturday and Sunday account for 34.1% of fatal crashes.

All crashes

  • Sun62,211
  • Mon79,341
  • Tue82,343
  • Wed82,021
  • Thu83,298
  • Fri91,162
  • Sat73,770

Fatal crashes

  • Sun609
  • Mon480
  • Tue478
  • Wed474
  • Thu477
  • Fri569
  • Sat675

Statewide, all Texas reportable crashes in 2024. Source: TxDOT, Fatal and Non-Fatal Crashes by Hour and Day of Week (report 17). TxDOT does not publish this hour-by-hour table by county.

What this means for drivers

  • Know what the minimum pays. Texas requires at least 30/60/25 liability: $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per crash for injuries and $25,000 for property damage. It pays other people when you cause a crash. (TDI Auto Insurance Guide)
  • Ask about uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. TDI says it pays if you're hit by someone who didn't have insurance or didn't have enough, and in hit-and-runs. Insurers must offer it; you can only decline it in writing.
  • Keep PIP unless you have a reason not to. Every Texas policy includes personal injury protection unless you reject it in writing. It pays your and your passengers' medical bills and some lost wages and other nonmedical costs. (TDI)
  • After a crash, get the officer's CR-3 report. Police file a Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report (CR-3). Your insurer will ask for it, along with photos and the other driver's information.

Learn more: how long an accident affects your insurance in Texas and what to do after a crash without insurance. A-LA Auto Insurance is a Texas agency with 19 offices in Dallas–Fort Worth and 2 in San Antonio. (TDI agency license #3107286)

Is your coverage enough for a serious crash?

Our licensed agents compare 35+ carriers and can walk you through liability limits, uninsured motorist coverage and PIP, in English or Spanish.

Call (866) 252-6116Get a quote

Methodology

Data. TxDOT Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics 2024 and 2019. We used report 13, “Crashes and Injuries by County” (2019 edition); report 17, “Fatal and Non-Fatal Crashes by Hour and Day of Week”; report 22, “Speed Involved Crashes and Injuries by County”; report 32, “Distracted Driver Crashes and Injuries by County”; and the 2024 Crash Facts summary. We downloaded them on October 7, 2026. Each report says it reflects reportable crashes from Texas Peace Officer's Crash Reports (CR-3) processed as of April 9, 2025.

Calculations. Percent changes compare 2024 with 2019. Time-of-day shares divide the fatal (or non-fatal) crashes in an hour range by the year's fatal (or non-fatal) total. “Deaths” is TxDOT's fatalities column; “serious injuries” is its suspected serious injuries column. Every figure on this page is checked by an automated test against the source totals.

Why 2019 and 2024. 2019 is the last full year before pandemic-era traffic changes, and 2024 is the newest year with county tables. TxDOT has published 2025 statewide totals but not 2025 county detail.

Geography. “DFW” means the nine counties in the table; “San Antonio area” means Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe. This is not the official metropolitan area definition.

Limitations

  • Counts, not rates. We did not adjust for population growth or miles driven. Texas drivers logged 307.49 billion vehicle miles in 2024, and growing counties will have more crashes simply from more traffic.
  • Coding differs by agency. Speed and distraction shares reflect what officers record on the CR-3. A high share can reflect local reporting practice as well as driver behavior.
  • Small numbers swing. In counties with a few dozen deaths a year, a handful of crashes can move the percent change a lot.
  • Statewide timing only. The hour and day-of-week figures are for all of Texas; TxDOT does not publish them by county.
  • Reporting changes. Crash counts reflect crashes police documented on a CR-3. Agency practices for documenting minor crashes can change over time, so crash-count trends since 2019 may partly reflect reporting changes, while fatality counts are the most consistently reported.

How to cite this report

Short: “...according to an A-LA Auto Insurance analysis of TxDOT crash data.”

Full: A-LA Auto Insurance. Fewer Crashes, More Deaths: Texas Crashes by County and Time, 2019 vs. 2024. October 7, 2026. https://alaautoinsurance.com/resources/texas-crashes-by-county-and-time. Underlying data: TxDOT Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics 2019 and 2024.

You may republish the tables with credit and a link to this page. Media questions: admin@alaautoinsurance.com or (866) 252-6116.

Frequently asked questions

Compared with 2019, yes. TxDOT counted 4,150 traffic deaths in 2024, up 14.6% from 3,622 in 2019, while reportable crashes fell 1.4% to 554,146. Deaths did fall 3.29% from 2023, when 4,291 people died. These are counts, not rates per mile driven.