Top 10 Texas cities with the best and worst drivers. See list

Twenty-one Texas cities have deadlier roads than the national average, a recent study shows. The Lone Star State appears to be notorious for dangerous roads: Another study published earlier this year revealed two of the top ten deadliest US interstates run through Texas.

Whether you’re idling during rush hour or narrowly avoiding an accident caused by a negligent driver, it’s easy to assume you’re sharing the road with the state’s worst drivers. A study by ConsumerAffairs has gathered data to settle the dispute. A total of 60 Texas cities with 50,000 or more residents were analyzed in the study.

Do the worst Texas drivers live in your city? You may be surprised by the city claiming the safest drivers.

More statistics: Texas ranks second in worst states for drunk driving. See which ranked No. 1

Texas traffic death rates are higher than national average

Texas had 17% more traffic fatalities than the national average in 2022. Out of every 100,000 residents, there are over 15 traffic deaths in Texas. For the same number of residents in the rest of the US, fewer than 13 die on average.

Galveston ranked No. 1 Texas city with worst drivers

Galveston has the worst drivers and had the highest traffic fatality rate among the cities in 2022. Nearly 36 out of 100,000 residents lost their lives in vehicle crashes — more than double the state’s average rate of 15.1 and almost triple the national average of 12.84.

The crash score for Galveston was 72% higher than the second-worst Texas city. In 2022, 47% of traffic fatalities were linked to speeding, and 42% involved driving under the influence.

Watch now: Knife-wielding man unleashes chaos after crash

LIST: Top 10 Texas cities with the worst drivers

Texas’ five largest cities ranked among the top 20 for bad driving.

The following table compares the cities with the worst drivers. In addition to the crash score (which is out of 100), all figures reflect the rates per 100,000 residents.

City	Crash score	Total fatalities	“Bad driving” crashes	Fatalities due to DUI	Fatalities due to speeding	Fatalities due to positive BAC
Galveston	97.63	35.67	9.39	15.02	16.90	20.65
San Marcos	56.60	22.34	7.45	4.47	10.43	11.91
Wichita Falls	54.64	19.52	8.78	3.90	11.71	10.73
Midland	53.83	18.11	3.77	5.28	12.83	12.83
Port Arthur	50.09	19.68	12.52	1.79	5.37	10.73
Odessa	46.76	18.53	4.41	2.65	8.82	12.35
Richardson	46.59	16.94	5.93	5.08	8.47	10.16
Baytown	46.18	20.13	9.47	1.18	7.10	8.29
Longview	45.03	19.47	8.52	2.43	4.87	9.74
Dallas	44.06	17.53	4.54	4.69	8.15	9.15

Table by Alexis Simmerman/American-Statesman | Data by ConsumerAffairs

League City has safe drivers in Texas

League City was determined to have the safest drivers among the 60 cities included in the study. ConsumerAffairs gives the city a 2.64 crash score. Only one traffic fatality was linked to an incident of bad driving in 2022.

League City and Galveston — the Texas city with the worst drivers — both fall within the Houston metro area and an hour’s drive of the city proper.

LIST: Top 10 Texas cities with the safest drivers

City	Crash score	Total fatalities	“Bad driving” crashes	Fatalities due to DUI	Fatalities due to speeding	Fatalities due to positive BAC
League City	2.64	0.88	0.88	0.00	0.00	0.88
Frisco	4.95	1.98	0.49	0.00	0.99	1.48
Sugar Land	5.45	1.82	1.82	0.00	0.91	0.91
Mansfield	8.14	2.71	2.71	0.00	1.36	1.36
Pflugerville	9.30	4.65	1.55	0.00	0.00	3.10
North Richland Hills	9.98	4.28	1.43	0.00	1.43	2.85
Pearland	10.44	7.23	0.80	0.00	0.80	1.61
Plano	10.53	4.56	1.40	1.40	1.05	2.11
Victoria	10.69	4.58	1.53	0.00	3.05	1.53
Pharr	12.59	3.78	2.52	1.26	2.52	2.52

Table by Alexis Simmerman/American-Statesman | Data by ConsumerAffairs

How the ranking works

In the latest study, ConsumerAffairs analyzed 60 Texas cities with populations of at least 50,000. Vehicle crash data was gathered from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

The study’s rankings don’t necessarily represent the highest rates of traffic fatalities overall. Instead, the data gathered also involved crashes resulting from drivers’ negligence. Cities were given crash scores, which were calculated by adding up the following five factors:

Number of crashes due to bad driving per 100,000 people
Number of fatalities due to crashes per 100,000 people
Number of fatalities due to speeding per 100,000 people
Number of fatalities due to driving under the influence per 100,000 people
Number of fatalities involving positive blood alcohol content per 100,000 people

What are examples of ‘bad driving’?

ConsumerAffairs lists the following as examples of “bad driving”:

Aggressive driving/road rage
Careless driving, inattentive operation, improper driving, driving without due care
Driving on the wrong side of a two-way road (intentional or unintentional)
Driving wrong way on a one-way road
Failure to yield right of way
Following improperly
Improper lane usage
Improper or erratic lane changing
Making other improper turns
Operating the vehicle in an erratic, reckless or negligent manner
Operator inexperience
Passing where prohibited by posted signs, pavement markings or school bus displaying warning not to pass
Passing with insufficient distance or inadequate visibility or failing to yield to overtaking vehicle