Crashes are all-too common on Dallas highways. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

Three of the deadliest highways run right through Dallas, according to a new study, which points to Dallas County one of the most perilous places in America to travel via motor vehicle.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (NHTSA-FARS) data collected for a six-year period (2010-2016) show 490 fatal crashes along I-20 in Dallas County that resulted in 594 deaths. Along I-35 in Dallas County there were 590 fatal crashes that resulted in 644 deaths. And along US 175 there were 74 fatal crashes that resulted in 89 deaths.

Some of the data charted: this shows the percentage of drunk-driving accidents.

The author or the report David Ascienzo used various factors to determine roads’ riskiness, including “fatal crashes per vehicle: Miles-traveled per capita highlighted highway stretches which have a disproportionate number of fatal crashes compared to the number of people who drive on it.”

Fatalities per crash.

Percentage of fatal non-vehicle collisions, “meant to serve as a proxy for inherent risk factors that aren’t due to dealing with other reckless drivers.”




He also took a detailed look at the role of alcohol in crashes and fatalities. “On average, 28.7 percent of all fatal crashes that occurred on a state route or highway, not just those in our top 50 list, involved a drunken driver,” notes the study’s author.

Texas Department of Transportation reportedly has several programs in place to improve conditions on Texas roads.