x
Breaking News
More () »

Bexar Co. leads state in deadly distracted driving crashes

Despite seeing a decrease in distracted driving fatal crashes from 2016 to 2017, TxDOT reports Bexar County still saw the most deaths from distracted driving compared to other large Texas counties.

Recent statistics show the increasing danger of distracted driving in Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation shows year-to-year improvements in some Texas counties from 2016 to 2017, but statistics also show distracted driving deaths are on the rise in the Dallas and Houston areas.

Dallas, Harris and Travis reportedly experienced spikes in the number of fatal distracted driving crashes from 2016 to 2017.

Bexar County reportedly experienced a decrease. However, Bexar County also saw the greatest number of fatal crashes in the state, totaling 45.

Bexar County had the most total number of distracted driving crashes in the state with 24,021. However, the total crash figure in Bexar County is down from 26,313 in 2016. TxDOT said the statewide total number of fatal distracted driving crashes also decreased year-to-year from 417 in 2016 to 403 in 2017.

RELATED: S.A. launches 'safest driver' competition with $10K prize

Distracted driving kills an average of nine people and injures 1,000 each day nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Studies by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety:

  • Drivers interacting with cell phones to perform tasks like texting or surfing the Internet are two to eight times more likely to be involved in a crash.
  • Taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of being involved in a crash.
  • 59 percent of all teen crashes involve some form of driver inattention, and 12 percent of teen crashes involve cell phone use.

Drivers are encouraged to keep cell phones out of sight while on the road, program your destination into a navigation system before leaving and avoid calling or texting others when you know they are driving.

Before You Leave, Check This Out