Congested roadways, mixed with bad driving habits, are reasons a recent study has deemed Texas drivers as some of the worst in the country.
According to an annual report from carinsurancecomparison.com, which analyzed nationwide driving habits, Texas tied with Louisiana as the states with the statistically worst drivers.
Although Texas has been named in the top five for worst drivers in all five years Car Insurance Comparison has conducted its annual report, this is the first time Texas has been ranked number one overall.
Drivers in Texas ranked third for drunk driving, ninth for speeding, ninth for fatalities rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled and within the top 15 in other categories.
According to the NHTSA, traffic related fatalities have decreased by approximately 67 percent since 1975. However, Texas transportation officials have said that at least one person has died on Texas roads every day for the past 16 years.
Distracted driving is now just as dangerous, if not worse, than drunken driving, Safeway Driving Vice President Ann Littman said.
One of the most common examples of distracted driving is cell phone use. However, Texas doesn’t have a law that forbids drivers from using their cell phones. Although some cities have implemented “Hands-free device only zones,” Littman said these can also be a dangerous distraction.
“Driving is a cognitive task,” said Littman. “Wherever your attention is, that’s what makes the difference. If your attention is on a conversation you’re having, whether it’s on the phone or through a hands-free device, that’s going to take your focus off of the task of driving.”
When asked why Texas is consistently at the top of the worst drivers rankings, Littman said that one reason is the Texas’ consistently increasing population, particularly in metropolitan areas, which make the roadways more congested and subsequently more dangerous.
“We actually teach for you to be able to keep a diamond space around your vehicle,” said Littman. “A diamond provides plenty of space in front of you, behind you and both sides. So if there is anything in the roadway that forces you to make a defensive maneuver, it provides you with space and a way to be able to get around that.”
Littman said that it is important to change the way we, as people, view driving. She believes that driving throughout history has been a task that hasn’t necessarily been taken seriously, and urges drivers to recognize the realities of driving.
“The thing you have to remember is that every time you get behind the wheel you’re getting behind the wheel of essentially a 3500 pound missile filled with rocket fuel,” Littman said. “And that’s a responsibility that we have to take seriously to not just protect ourselves and our passengers, but also those on the roadway around us.”
How did they come up with the ranking?
To determine the rankings, each state is ranked according to statistics made available to the public by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for the following categories: fatalities rate per 100 million vehicle Miles Traveled, Failure to Obey, drunk driving, speeding and careless driving
How Texans rank on driving habits
Drunk driving 3rd worst
Speeding 9th worst
Careless driving 14th
Failure to obey traffic signals 12th
Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled 9th worst
Texans’ bad driving habits by the numbers
Fatalities per 100 million miles traveled 1.46
Drunk driving fatalities with blood alcohol content above .08 1,446
Speed related fatalities 1,284
Percent of fatal crashes when seat belts weren’t used 19.84%
Percent of fatal crashes involving invalidly licensed drivers 19.38%
Percent of fatal crashes with traffic safety devices involved 15.63%
Pedestrians killed 476
Cyclists killed 50
