Texas Leads Nation In Fatal Large-Truck Interstate Crashes, Study Finds

HOUSTON, Texas (TXAN 24) — Texas recorded 1,886 fatal crashes involving large trucks on interstate highways from 2020 through 2024, the highest total nationally, according to research by Houston-based DeHoyos Accident Attorneys.

The state averaged 377.2 fatal crashes annually and ranked ninth among Southern states when adjusted for population, with 1.21 fatal crashes per 100,000 residents. That rate is approximately 41% higher than the study’s national average of 0.857.

The year-by-year figures show substantial fluctuations. Texas recorded 315 fatal crashes in 2020 before the number climbed to 541 in 2021, a 71.7% increase. The annual total then fell to 394 in 2022 and 312 in 2023 before rising slightly to 324 in 2024.

Texas’s extensive interstate network, including I-10, I-20 and I-35, carries commercial freight across the state and connects major distribution centers, border crossings and Gulf Coast ports.

Among Southern states, Arkansas recorded the highest population-adjusted rate at 1.89, followed by Louisiana at 1.84 and Oklahoma at 1.79.

Researchers analyzed 2020–2024 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System and used U.S. Census Bureau population estimates to calculate rates.

The study focuses specifically on fatal crashes involving large trucks on interstate highways. It does not represent all truck collisions, all roadway fatalities or the number of people killed.