eyes on the road
Houston swerves to No. 7 spot on new list of deadliest cities for Labor Day driving
If Houstonians are planning to hit the road for that final summer trip over the long Labor Day weekend, they'll have to remain more cautious than ever before. A new report has found that Houston experiences the seventh-highest number of traffic fatalities in the country over the Labor Day holiday.
The report by insurance agency Jerry analyzed traffic fatality data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) between 2012 and 2021 to determine the most deadly cities and the number of fatal vehicle accidents throughout the holiday period, which begins from Friday at 6 pm through Tuesday at 6 am.
Texas overall had 409 traffic fatalities during the Labor Day holiday period, with Houston riding into the No. 3 spot for the deadliest city in the state with 19 fatalities.
For comparison, California is the deadliest state in the U.S. for drivers over the Labor Day weekend with 438 traffic fatalities between 2012-2021. Los Angeles is the deadliest city in the national ranking, with 34 lives lost within the same time period.
Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas ranked behind Los Angeles as the second most dangerous U.S. city during the Labor Day weekend with 26 fatalities, and the No. 1 deadliest city in Texas. San Antonio ranked No. 4 nationally with 21 lost lives between 2012-2021, and No. 2 in Texas.
"The Labor Day holiday is the deadliest summer driving holiday, and the second-deadliest driving holiday of the year, behind only Thanksgiving," the report said. "The number of people killed in traffic accidents over the Labor Day weekend rose 38 percent from 2012 through 2021, with an average of 447 lives lost every year."
The report additionally found that men in their 20s are the most at risk to be involved in a fatal crash over Labor Day, as they made up 1,160 fatalities between 2012-2021. Alcohol is a significant factor in these crashes; about 75 percent of the crashes involved at least one driver in their 20s and 30s that was tested for the substance.
The U.S. cities with the most traffic fatalities during Labor Day are:
- Los Angeles, California (34 fatalities)
- Dallas, Texas (26)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (22)
- San Antonio, Texas (21)
- Chicago, Illinois (19)
- Charlotte, North Carolina (19)
- Houston, Texas (19)
- Louisville, Kentucky (18)
- Phoenix, Arizona (16)
- Flushing, Queens, New York (15)