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Houston's road rage hot spots revealed: The Galleria, Hillcroft & Hipstrict areall anger flash points
In the Lone Star State, there's no way of knowing if the driver you just cut off is stowing away a shotgun in the glove compartment. Luckily, the Texas Watchdog organization has analyzed statistics gathered by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and pinpointed the road rage danger spots.
Shopaholics carry their stress onto the roadways in the Galleria area, a major road rage wreck hub. Nearby, the Hillcroft and Westheimer intersection packs its share of punches. The meeting of Allen Parkway and Kirby Drive and Eastex Freeway near Tidwell Road is also an anger instigator. Not surprisingly, the Eastex Freeway near Mount Houston Road — the pathway to a precious Dairy Queen — is another traffic tinderbox.
Texas Watchdog's evidence comes from 100,000 wrecks in Harris County in 2009, of which three-quarters are listed by latitude and longitude. According to the stats, downtown is the single worst spot for general wrecks, including those caused by cell phones and road rage. Ironically, the area surrounding METRO headquarters, near the Pierce Elevated, is the worst transportation spot.
Other than downtown, wreck hotspots include the intersection of the 610 Loop at the Southwest Freeway and the area where that highway intersects with Hillcroft. The worst spot for fatal accidents in Harris County can be found at the northeastern corner of the Loop, where 610 interchanges with Liberty Highway. In terms of cell phone-inspired wrecks, watch out for the Neartown/Montrose area of the hipstrict, south of the Galleria and the area surrounding the NASA Johnson Space Center.
To help abate road rage incidents, TxDOT offers some sage advice on its website, such as "Keep your emotions in check," "Don't make inappropriate hand or facial gestures," and "Yelling, pounding on the steering wheel and honking your horn won't make traffic move any faster."
Thanks, TxDot.
