Tag "statistics"

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Texas led the country last year in the number of drunken driving fatalities with 1,354 drunken driving deaths last year (up from 34 in 2005). Texas tied Arizona and Kansas for the largest increase in the number of fatalities while Utah, Kansas, and Iowa had the largest percentage…

A recent article in the Austin American Statesman reveals that teen drivers in rural areas are at a greater risk of being involved in an accident than their urban counterparts. The article was based on a study by the Texas Transportation Institute released Tuesday which shows, among other things that rural teens are more likely…

A new state program will allow friends and relatives of people killed in drunken driving wrecks in Texas to buy memorial signs that will be placed near the crash site for a year. The $300 signs will be 42 inches high and 48 inches wide, with a blue background and white lettering and have the…

Around the globe, accidents kill 830,000 children annually – equivalent to all the children in Chicago, according to a report issued by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The report, the first to collect all known data on child injuries worldwide, makes broad estimates because many poor countries gather few health statistics, and many children…

There were 95 traffic fatalities in Travis County in 2008, up slightly from 2007, according to’ law enforcement records. On roads within the City of Austin, there  were 59 deaths last year. Investigators saw a rise in motorcycle-related deaths, spurred by a summer of nearly $4-per-gallon gas, Austin police Detective Mark Breckenridge said.  “We had…

Texas law already requires buckling up in the front seat, and starting September 1, it’ll be the law to do so in the back seat, too. The change affects people 17 and older; those 16 and under are already required to wear a seat belt in the back seat. Getting the measure passed into law…

The risk of dying in a traffic crash has dropped nearly 18 percent since 2005, according to preliminary statistics released by the Transportation Department, although experts say they are not sure why. The recession and gas prices have reduced the number of miles traveled, and perhaps cutting average speed, at least for part of the…

The number of people dying on the highways is the lowest since the 1950s despite runaway Toyotas and teen drivers texting. The U.S. Transportation Department said Thursday that its estimates show total traffic deaths declined nearly 9 percent in 2009 — to 33,963. That’s the lowest toll since 1954. In 2008, an estimated 37,261 people…