Friendswood Road Safety Overview
Located within the Houston metropolitan area, the small community of Friendswood may seem idyllic and peaceful. However, you may wonder how many car accidents in Friendswood happen and whether traveling by car, bike, or on foot is safe.
This concern is legitimate, especially considering other large Texas cities like Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth rank as some of the worst cities in the United States for drivers. Here is what you need to know about road safety in Friendswood.
Road Safety Statistics for Friendswood
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintains statistics that paint a comprehensive picture of road safety in communities throughout the Lone Star State, including Friendswood. For 2022, the TxDOT recorded a total of 458 accidents occurring in Friendswood.
Considering that Friendswood’s population is approximately 40,000, this statistic alone means that there was one crash for every 100 people living in the city. Over 37 auto wrecks happened every month, a rate that exceeded one collision every single day of the year in 2022 (on average).
Friendswood Car Accidents by Severity
Of the 458 traffic accidents that occurred in 2022, 359 of them — or over 75% — were classified as non-injury crashes. These collisions are sometimes referred to as property damage-only crashes because the only observable outcome is damage to vehicles or other property.
Additionally, 93 crashes resulted in some type of measurable injury to one or more persons. In total, 128 people suffered some amount of harm as a result of a Friendswood auto accident. Overall, 6 people were believed to have suffered severe injuries in 6 separate crashes, while the other 87 accidents resulted in either minor or moderate injuries.
In three additional cases, authorities could not determine whether anyone suffered any injuries or how severe those injuries were.
Finally, 3 accidents in Friendswood resulted in 1 fatality each. This means that less than 1% of all crashes in the community were classified as fatality accidents.
Pedestrian and Bicyclist Crash Statistics
According to TxDOT, in 2022, 2,347 bicycle accidents and 5,751 pedestrian crashes occurred throughout Texas. In these accidents, 91 bicyclists were killed, and another 126 were severely injured. Similarly, 828 pedestrians sustained fatal injuries, and 1,442 sustained severe injuries in accidents.
The exact numbers of how many of these types of accidents occurred in Friendswood are not available. However, since Friendswood’s 458 motor vehicle accidents account for approximately 0.1% of Texas’s 427,806 motor vehicle accidents, it is reasonable to estimate that Friendswood was the site of about two bicycle accidents and nearly six pedestrian accidents.
Top Causes of Injury And Fatal Accidents In Texas
TxDOT’s data identifies common factors that help explain why injury and fatal motor vehicle accidents occur in communities like Friendswood. Some of the most common reasons these collisions occur include the following:
Unsafe Lane Changes
Changing lanes safely begins by staying aware of your surroundings and checking your blind spots before beginning to move. Using turn signals is also essential for alerting other motorists of your intentions.
When an accident happens because of an unsafe lane change, there is a high likelihood that the at-fault driver failed to do one or both of these actions before attempting to switch lanes. An unsafe lane change caused 45,833 accidents in Texas in 2022, including 91 fatal wrecks and 511 serious injury crashes.
Failing To Yield the Right of Way
Right-of-way laws govern the movement of traffic when cars, trucks, and other vehicles converge. This can happen at various places, including when traffic approaches a stop sign. Drivers who are faced with the familiar red octagon must stop and wait for traffic that has the right of way to clear before they can proceed along their route.
Drivers who failed to yield the right of way at stop signs were a factor in over 30,000 accidents, including 128 fatal accidents.
Driver Inattention
Most Texas drivers know about the dangers of driving while distracted and texting while driving. However, even when cell phones and other distractions are put away, drivers can still fail to give proper attention to the road and other cars and trucks.
It is easy for drivers to “zone out” while behind the wheel, especially when they are traveling familiar routes or have been behind the wheel for a considerable amount of time. Even when driving conditions are ideal, inattentive drivers can miss seeing stopped traffic, pedestrians crossing the street, and other hazards right in front of them.
To avoid this, drivers should take frequent breaks when driving long distances. Vary your route so that you do not become too accustomed to the sights of your regular path to work or school. While traveling, make sure to vary your gaze from straight ahead as you check side streets, corners, and your rearview mirror for hazards.
Over 85,000 accidents were attributable to driver inattention in 2022 throughout the state.
Failing To Control Speed
In 2022, the most common cause of motor vehicle crashes in Texas was drivers who failed to control their vehicles’ speed. This factor alone accounted for over 25% of all traffic collisions in the state. Nearly 600 fatal accidents and over 3,200 serious injury accidents resulted from drivers who did not adequately control their speed.
Unlike drivers who choose to exceed the posted speed limit, failing to control your speed happens when the traffic conditions justify traveling below the speed limit. This situation could arise during inclement weather, periods of poor visibility, or when roads are congested with traffic.
Each condition increases the risk of a collision, and drivers should act accordingly by reducing their speed.
Staying Safe on the Road in Friendswood
Given its small size compared to nearby Houston, the available TxDOT statistics are not surprising for Friendswood. This small community faces some of the same dangers that other larger jurisdictions encounter, albeit on a smaller scale.
As with any community, staying aware of your surroundings and practicing safe driving habits is crucial to staying safe on Friendswood roads.