HOUSTON — If you're hitting the road for the holidays, you'll have plenty of company. AAA predicts over 103 million Americans will drive 50 or more miles from home for Christmas or New Year festivities.
Sadly, Christmas road trips turn deadly for hundreds of American drivers and their passengers every year. More than 3,200 people died on the roads over the Christmas holidays in the last decade.
Drivers in Houston and three other Texas cities need to be extra careful on the road, according to nearly 10 years of data by insurance savings app Jerry.
Jerry says four of the top 10 deadliest cities over the last decade are in Texas. Houston is No. 2 behind only Los Angeles.
1. Los Angeles
2. Houston
3. Phoenix
4. Jacksonville
5. San Diego
6. Dallas
7. Memphis
8. San Antonio
9. Chicago
10. Fort Worth
Key takeaways
- In 2021, the last year for which data is available, fatal traffic crashes during the Christmas holiday totaled 396, the most since 2018 and the third-highest number in the past decade.
- The hours from 6 p.m. to midnight on Christmas Eve make up the deadliest six-hour stretch of the holiday period, with the most fatal crashes per hour seen from 6-8 p.m.
- 6-7 p.m. on Christmas Day is also a dangerous time to be on the road.
- Over the holiday period, the fewest fatal crashes occur in the early mornings, from 7-9 a.m.
- Nearly three quarters (74%) of all drivers involved in fatal Christmas crashes are men.
- One in five (21%) drivers involved in fatal Christmas holiday crashes are men in their 20s, while 36% are men in their 20s or 30s.
- Nearly a third (30%) of all fatal crashes during the Christmas holiday involve speeding, while 27% involve drinking and 11% involve both.
- Harris County is No. 8 for drinking-related fatal crashes in large counties with a population of at least one million.
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