Original Data Study | 2025 CRIS Data

The Texas Head On Collision Index

A rare crash type with a disproportionate fatal toll. In 2025, Texas recorded 7,783 reportable head on crashes, just 1.4% of reportable crashes. Yet 432 were fatal, 12.4% of the state's fatal crashes.

This original analysis of TxDOT CRIS records examines Texas head on crashes from 2019 through 2025, including severity, deaths, rural and urban location, road class, posted speed, timing, light and weather conditions, road design, counties, highways, and officer recorded factors.

TxDOT CRIS | 2019 to 2025 Texas · 12 cities · TxDOT CRIS public query accessed
Head on crashes, 2025
7,783
Share of reportable crashes
1.4%
Fatal head on crashes, 2025
432
People killed, 2025
554
Texas, 2025
About 1 in 18 was fatal
  • 5.55% of head on crashes were fatal, compared with 0.64% of all crashes
  • #1 fatal rate of any collision type, every year from 2019 to 2025
  • 73.4% of fatal head on crashes happened in rural areas
  • 80.6% of fatal head on crashes were on roads posted 55 mph or higher

1.4% of Crashes, 12.4% of Fatal Crashes

What the 2025 Data Shows

  • About 1 in 18 head on crashes was fatal, compared with about 1 in 155 reportable crashes statewide. [HO-001]
  • 73.4% of fatal head on crashes occurred in rural areas. [HO-002]
  • 77.5% of fatal head on crashes occurred on US highways, state highways, or Farm to Market roads. [HO-003]
  • Roads posted at 55 mph or more accounted for 80.6% of fatal head on crashes. [HO-004]
  • The 432 fatal head on crashes recorded in CRIS involved 554 deaths. [HO-005]

The Texas Head On Collision Index is J. Alexander Law Firm's original analysis of publicly available TxDOT Crash Records Information System data. The study identifies reportable crashes coded as "opposite direction, both going straight" and examines Texas patterns from 2019 through 2025, including crash severity, deaths, rural and urban location, road class, posted speed, light conditions, timing, road design, counties, highways, and officer recorded contributing factors.

What this study measures: officer reported, TxDOT reportable crashes coded in CRIS as manner of collision code 30. Unless otherwise stated, results describe crash records, not legal fault, the cause of an individual collision, all medical injuries diagnosed after a crash, or every head on type impact that may be described differently in ordinary language.

In 2025, TxDOT's Crash Records Information System lists 7,783 head on crashes among 539,112 reportable crashes, as queried . That is 1.4% of all reportable crashes. The same 7,783 crashes included 432 fatal crashes, 12.4% of the 3,471 fatal crashes in the state. [HO-006, HO-007, HO-008, HO-009]

TxDOT's published 2025 Crash Facts total is 538,860 reportable crashes, processed through April 7, 2026. A CRIS public query run on September 23, 2026 returned 539,112, a difference of 252 crashes, or 0.05%, consistent with later processed reports. The head on count was confirmed with a second, independent CRIS crash count. [HO-007]

Definition used throughout: A head on crash is a reportable crash coded in CRIS under manner of collision code 30, "Opposite direction, both going straight." This study does not combine it with opposite direction turning crashes, angle crashes, sideswipes, or single vehicle crashes. In 2025, 7,783 Texas crashes carried code 30. [HO-006]

TxDOT's annual Crash Facts reports publish a head on death count but no head on crash table by severity, road, or city. The figures on this page were calculated directly from TxDOT's Crash Records Information System and checked against TxDOT's published totals.

The count has been steady. From 2019 through 2025, Texas recorded between 6,989 and 8,323 head on crashes a year, always about 1.4% to 1.5% of reportable crashes, and between 408 and 479 fatal head on crashes a year. [HO-010]

Fatal Head On Crashes in Texas by Year Fatal head on crashes ranged from 408 in 2020 to 479 in 2023, and 2025 had 432, 24 fewer than 2024 and the fewest since 2020.
Fatal head on crashes in Texas by year, 2019 to 2025, with the change from the prior year
Year Fatal head on crashes Change from prior year Note
2019 460 No prior year shown
2020 408 −52 Lowest
2021 458 +50
2022 467 +9
2023 479 +12 Peak
2024 456 −23
2025 432 −24 Latest
Fatal crashes are crashes with a K, fatal, crash severity code. Columns are drawn to scale from zero. Counts reflect a CRIS public query run September 23, 2026. [HO-010]
Texas Head On Crashes by Year
Year All Crashes Head On Share Fatal Fatal or Serious Fatal Rate
2019 562,258 7,715 1.37% 460 1,110 5.96%
2020 475,275 6,989 1.47% 408 976 5.84%
2021 552,707 8,323 1.51% 458 1,299 5.50%
2022 555,691 8,052 1.45% 467 1,182 5.80%
2023 559,734 8,120 1.45% 479 1,235 5.90%
2024 555,039 8,141 1.47% 456 1,183 5.60%
2025 539,112 7,783 1.44% 432 1,122 5.55%

The Highest Fatal Rate of Any Collision Type

About 1 in 18 Texas head on crashes was fatal in 2025: 5.55%, compared with 0.64% of all reportable crashes, about 1 in 155. Another way to measure it: 14.42% of head on crashes were coded fatal or suspected serious injury, classified as KA crashes, compared with 3.32% of all crashes. [HO-001, HO-011]

Head on crashes had the highest fatal rate and the highest fatal or serious injury rate of all 42 manner of collision categories recorded in CRIS in 2025. They also had the highest fatal rate of any category in every year from 2019 through 2025. [HO-012]

Fatal Rate by Manner of Collision, Texas, 2025
Bar chart comparing the fatal crash rate of head on crashes with other Texas crash types, 2025
Manner of collision Fatal rate
Head on 5.55%
One vehicle going straight 1.70%
All reportable crashes 0.64%
Opposite direction, left turn 0.55%
Angle, both going straight 0.37%
Rear end (codes 20 and 22) 0.22%
Same direction sideswipe 0.12%
Fatal rate is fatal crashes divided by all reportable crashes in each CRIS manner of collision category. Categories with small counts may produce volatile annual rates. CRIS public query run September 23, 2026. [HO-013]

Single vehicle crashes, CRIS code 1, produced more fatal crashes in total, 1,864, because they are far more common. Their fatal rate, 1.70%, was less than a third of the head on rate. Rear end crashes, codes 20 and 22 combined, had a fatal rate of 0.22%. [HO-013]

How Many People Died

In Texas, the 432 fatal head on crashes of 2025 involved 554 deaths, according to the death counts on the crash records. That is 14.7% of everyone killed in a reportable Texas crash. 99 of those crashes, 22.9%, killed two or more people, compared with 6.9% of all fatal crashes. [HO-005, HO-014, HO-015]

TxDOT's 2025 Crash Facts report lists 555 people killed in head on crashes. This study's CRIS code 30 query returned 554. The one death difference reflects the timing and processing status of public record updates, not a different definition: TxDOT's Strategic Highway Safety Plan defines a head on crash by the same CRIS code, and from 2019 through 2025 the two counts matched exactly in four of seven years and were within two deaths in every year. [HO-016, HO-017]

People Killed in Texas Head On Crashes
Year TxDOT Crash Facts CRIS Code 30, Sept 2026 Fatal Head On Crashes
2019 595 595 460
2020 539 539 408
2021 609 608 458
2022 635 635 467
2023 635 635 479
2024 617 619 456
2025 555 554 432

The person records show who was hurt. The 2025 head on crashes involved 23,051 people: 554 were killed and 1,313 more suffered suspected serious injuries. Of those killed, 416 were drivers and 109 were passengers. Motorcycle operators had the highest observed death share among the listed groups: 27 of the 132 operators involved in a 2025 head on crash were killed, or 20.5%. [HO-018, HO-019, HO-020]

Important: person type, driver age, and commercial vehicle rows overlap, so the rows do not add to the total number of people involved. Age rows include motorcycle operators; 1,032 drivers with no recorded age and 11 drivers under 15 are not shown. Share killed is not shown for groups with fewer than 30 people.

Who Was Involved and Hurt in Texas Head On Crashes, 2025
Group People Involved Killed Suspected Serious Injury Share Killed
Drivers of cars, trucks, and other motor vehicles 16,185 416 907 2.6%
Passengers in those vehicles 6,678 109 354 1.6%
Motorcycle operators 132 27 45 20.5%
Motorcycle passengers 4 1 2 Too few to rate
Pedestrians and bicyclists 7 1 2 Too few to rate
Drivers ages 15 to 19 1,131 29 84 2.6%
Drivers ages 20 to 24 1,799 49 121 2.7%
Drivers ages 25 to 64 10,830 301 640 2.8%
Drivers 65 and older 1,514 63 100 4.2%
Anyone in a commercial motor vehicle 1,732 9 30 0.5%

Drivers 65 and older had a higher observed death share than younger drivers: 4.2% were killed, compared with 2.8% of drivers ages 25 to 64, 2.7% of drivers ages 20 to 24, and 2.6% of drivers ages 15 to 19. These are outcomes among people already involved in a head on crash, not population or travel adjusted risk rates. Deaths rarely occurred inside the commercial vehicle: 9 of the 554 people killed were in a commercial motor vehicle. [HO-021, HO-022]

Most people killed in head on crashes were buckled in. 316 of the 554 people killed were wearing a shoulder and lap belt. Where restraint use was recorded, 30.8% of those killed were unrestrained. Statewide, TxDOT reports that 45.94% of people killed in vehicles in 2025, where restraint use applied and was known, were not restrained. [HO-023, HO-024]

Texas Head On Crashes by Severity, 2025
Bar chart of Texas head on crashes by injury severity, 2025
Crash severity Head on crashes
K, fatal 432
A, suspected serious injury 690
B, suspected minor injury 1,548
C, possible injury 1,081
O, no apparent injury 3,992
KABCO severity reflects the investigating officer's coding. Another 40 head on crashes had unknown severity. [HO-025]

Head on crashes accounted for 6.3% of all fatal or serious injury crashes in Texas in 2025, from 1.4% of crashes. [HO-026]

Crash severity is a crash level code assigned by the investigating officer, based on the most severe injury observed. It does not capture injuries reported, treated, or diagnosed after the crash. TxDOT's Crash Facts figures for 2019 through 2024 are the versions TxDOT restated on April 9, 2025; the 2025 figure reflects reports processed through April 7, 2026.

Fatal Head On Crashes Concentrate on Rural, Higher Speed Roads

More than half of Texas head on crashes happened outside the state's cities. In 2025, 53.0% of Texas head on crashes occurred in rural areas, which TxDOT defines as places outside cities of 5,000 or more people. Only 27.4% of all reportable crashes did. In 2025, rural areas accounted for 73.4% of fatal head on crashes in Texas. [HO-002, HO-027]

A rural head on crash was about 2.4 times as likely to be fatal as an urban one: 7.7% compared with 3.1%. [HO-028]

335 of the 432 fatal head on crashes in 2025, or 77.5%, happened on a US highway, a state highway, or a Farm to Market road. Those roads carried 39.4% of head on crashes. City streets carried 37.3% of head on crashes but only 10.0% of the fatal ones. That imbalance does not establish that road design alone caused the crashes. It does show where the fatal burden was concentrated in the CRIS data. [HO-003, HO-029]

Fatal Head On Crashes by Road Class, 2025
Bar chart of fatal head on crashes in Texas by road class, 2025
Road class Fatal head on crashes
US and state highways 217
Farm to Market roads 118
Interstates 27
City streets 43
County roads 21
Tollways 6
CRIS Road Class field. Gold bars mark US and state highways and Farm to Market roads. [HO-003]
Head On Crashes by Road Class, 2025
Road Class Head On Share Fatal Fatal Rate Share of All Crashes
US and state highways 1,762 22.6% 217 12.3% 24.3%
Farm to Market roads 1,305 16.8% 118 9.0% 9.1%
Interstates 281 3.6% 27 9.6% 18.5%
City streets 2,905 37.3% 43 1.5% 38.9%
County roads 1,487 19.1% 21 1.4% 7.4%
Tollways 37 0.5% 6 16.2% 1.7%

County roads carried 19.1% of head on crashes, compared with 7.4% of all reportable crashes. Their head on fatal rate, 1.4%, was lower than on US and state highways, Farm to Market roads, and interstates, but the 2025 records still include 21 fatal head on crashes on county roads. [HO-030]

The fatal rate climbed with the posted speed limit. Head on crashes on roads posted at 55 mph or higher accounted for about one third of head on crashes, 34.2%, but more than four out of five fatal head on crashes, 80.6%. Posted speed is not the speed a driver was traveling or the legal cause of a crash; it is a roadway context measure in the CRIS record. [HO-004]

Fatal Rate of Head On Crashes by Posted Speed Limit, 2025
Bar chart of the fatal rate of Texas head on crashes by posted speed limit, 2025
Posted speed limit Fatal rate
30 mph 0.8%
35 mph 1.7%
40 mph 1.3%
45 mph 2.7%
50 mph 4.9%
55 mph 8.7%
60 mph 12.1%
65 mph 17.5%
70 mph 17.6%
75 mph 15.2%
Share of head on crashes at each posted limit that were fatal. Posted limits are as recorded on the crash report, not vehicle speeds. [HO-031]

The state highway system shows the same split between frequency and severity. 47.4% of head on crashes occurred on roadways coded in CRIS as part of the state highway system (On System Flag = Yes), fewer than the 58.1% of all crashes. Yet those crashes accounted for 86.3% of fatal head on crashes. [HO-032]

Commercial motor vehicles were involved in 11.2% of head on crashes, compared with 7.1% of all reportable Texas crashes, and in 19.2% of fatal head on crashes. That difference shows commercial vehicle involvement was more common in the head on crash records than in crashes overall; it does not identify which driver caused any individual crash. Nearly all fatal head on crashes, 94.4%, happened away from an intersection. [HO-033, HO-034]

The rural concentration is not new. In every year from 2019 through 2025, rural areas accounted for between 48% and 53% of head on crashes and between 71% and 78% of fatal head on crashes. [HO-035]

Rural Share of Texas Head On Crashes by Year
Year Head On Rural Share Fatal Rural Share of Fatal
2019 7,715 49.4% 460 75.0%
2020 6,989 47.9% 408 70.8%
2021 8,323 48.3% 458 72.1%
2022 8,052 48.1% 467 71.1%
2023 8,120 51.5% 479 77.7%
2024 8,141 52.7% 456 76.8%
2025 7,783 53.0% 432 73.4%

Rural status comes from the CRIS Rural Flag, which follows TxDOT's published definition: urban means within a city or town of 5,000 or more people, and everything else is rural. CRIS counted 147,652 rural reportable crashes in 2025; TxDOT's Crash Facts rural table lists 147,617.

Fatal Rates Peaked on Unlit Roads and Late at Night

Most head on crashes happened in daylight, but darkness was overrepresented among the fatal ones. In 2025, 36.4% of Texas head on crashes occurred in dark conditions, yet those crashes accounted for 49.5% of fatal head on crashes, nearly half: 214 of 432. [HO-036]

Roads with no lighting stood out. Head on crashes on dark, unlit roads made up 19.5% of head on crashes and 38.9% of fatal head on crashes. About 11% of those crashes were fatal, compared with 4.3% in daylight. [HO-037, HO-038]

Fatal Head On Crashes by Light Condition, 2025
Bar chart of fatal head on crashes by light condition in Texas, 2025
Light condition Fatal head on crashes
Daylight 203
Dark, not lighted 168
Dark, lighted 43
Dark, unknown lighting 3
Dawn or dusk 15
CRIS Light Condition as recorded by the investigating officer. [HO-037]

Head on crashes peaked in the 5 p.m. hour, with 582 crashes. The overnight hours carried the most risk per crash. From midnight to 5:59 a.m., Texas recorded 11.3% of head on crashes but 22.5% of fatal head on crashes. [HO-039, HO-040]

The three hour window with the most fatal head on crashes was 3 p.m. to 5:59 p.m., with 65, the same window that had the most head on crashes overall. [HO-041]

Head On Crashes by Time of Day, 2025
Time Head On Fatal Fatal Rate Share of All Crashes
12 a.m. to 2:59 a.m. 458 47 10.3% 5.3%
3 a.m. to 5:59 a.m. 424 50 11.8% 4.4%
6 a.m. to 8:59 a.m. 1,063 56 5.3% 13.6%
9 a.m. to 11:59 a.m. 883 42 4.8% 12.6%
12 p.m. to 2:59 p.m. 1,179 53 4.5% 17.2%
3 p.m. to 5:59 p.m. 1,602 65 4.1% 23.3%
6 p.m. to 8:59 p.m. 1,285 60 4.7% 15.1%
9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. 889 59 6.6% 8.5%

Crash time is the local time recorded on the crash report. It is not a measure of traffic exposure: a higher overnight fatal rate may reflect several factors, including lighting, speed, traffic volume, road type, and the distance to emergency care.

Weekends showed a smaller version of the same pattern. Saturday and Sunday accounted for 27.8% of head on crashes and 32.6% of fatal head on crashes. Sunday had the most fatal head on crashes of any day, 73, and the highest fatal rate, 7.2%. [HO-042, HO-043]

Light, Weather, and Road Surface Conditions

Conditions recorded on crash reports describe the setting of a collision; they do not identify the legal cause of an individual crash. The table compares each condition's share of head on crashes with its share of all reportable crashes and of fatal head on crashes.

A condition is overrepresented among fatal crashes when its share of fatal head on crashes is larger than its share of all head on crashes. Dark, unlit roads are the clearest case: 38.9% of fatal head on crashes against 19.5% of all head on crashes. That pattern can reflect several factors at once, including traffic volume, time of day, road design, driver behavior, and the distance to emergency care, not the condition alone. [HO-037]

Head On Crashes by Light, Weather, and Road Surface Condition, Texas, 2025
Condition Head On Share of Head On Share of All Crashes Fatal Fatal Rate Share of Fatal Head On
Light condition
Daylight 4,713 60.6% 68.5% 203 4.3% 47.0%
Dark, not lighted 1,520 19.5% 9.2% 168 11.1% 38.9%
Dark, lighted 1,245 16.0% 18.7% 43 3.5% 10.0%
Dark, unknown lighting 68 0.9% 0.9% 3 4.4% 0.7%
Dawn or dusk 223 2.9% 2.3% 15 6.7% 3.5%
Other or unknown 14 0.2% 0.3% 0 Too few to rate 0.0%
Weather
Clear 6,017 77.3% 81.4% 325 5.4% 75.2%
Cloudy 835 10.7% 10.6% 55 6.6% 12.7%
Rain 824 10.6% 6.7% 45 5.5% 10.4%
Fog 51 0.7% 0.5% 4 7.8% 0.9%
Snow, sleet, or hail 29 0.4% 0.4% 1 Too few to rate 0.2%
Crosswinds, blowing sand, other, or unknown 27 0.3% 0.5% 2 Too few to rate 0.5%
Road surface
Dry 6,488 83.4% 89.0% 370 5.7% 85.6%
Wet 1,137 14.6% 9.5% 53 4.7% 12.3%
Standing water 42 0.5% 0.4% 5 11.9% 1.2%
Ice, snow, or slush 47 0.6% 0.5% 2 4.3% 0.5%
Sand, mud, or dirt 54 0.7% 0.2% 0 0.0% 0.0%
Other or unknown 15 0.2% 0.4% 2 Too few to rate 0.5%

Rain and wet pavement were more common in head on crashes than in crashes overall. Rain was recorded in 10.6% of head on crashes and 6.7% of all reportable crashes; wet pavement in 14.6% and 9.5%. Head on crashes on wet pavement were fatal less often than those on dry pavement, 4.7% compared with 5.7%. [HO-044, HO-045]

Light, weather, and surface conditions are the officer's description of the scene, not measurements. Fatal rates are not shown for conditions with fewer than 30 head on crashes.

Leaving the Lane Was the Most Frequently Cited Factor

"Failed to drive in single lane" was the factor officers cited most often in Texas head on crashes. It appeared in 2,312 of the 7,783 head on crashes recorded in 2025, or 29.7%. Counting the four lane keeping factors together (failed to drive in single lane, wrong side not passing, wrong side at an approach or intersection, and failed to give half of the roadway), 51.0% of head on crashes cited at least one. A passing maneuver, such as passing in a no passing zone, was cited in 3.2%. [HO-046, HO-047, HO-048]

Fatal crashes looked different. "Wrong side, not passing" was cited in 138 of the 432 fatal head on crashes, or 31.9%. Alcohol or drugs appeared in 155 fatal head on crashes, 35.9%, compared with 12.4% of all head on crashes. [HO-049, HO-050]

Factors Cited in Fatal Texas Head On Crashes, 2025
Bar chart of contributing factors cited in fatal Texas head on crashes, 2025
Contributing factor Share of fatal head on crashes
Wrong side, not passing 31.9%
Failed to drive in single lane 31.7%
Under influence, alcohol 23.1%
Wrong way, one way road 15.7%
Under influence, drug 11.6%
Unsafe speed 10.4%
Fatigued or asleep 6.0%
Passed in no passing lane 6.0%
Share of the 432 fatal head on crashes citing each factor. A crash can list more than one factor, and these figures include factors marked as possibly contributing.
Contributing Factors in Texas Head On Crashes, 2025
Factor Head On Crashes Share Fatal Share of Fatal
Wrong side, not passing 866 11.1% 138 31.9%
Failed to drive in single lane 2,312 29.7% 137 31.7%
Under influence, alcohol 698 9.0% 100 23.1%
Wrong way, one way road 409 5.3% 68 15.7%
Under influence, drug 111 1.4% 50 11.6%
Unsafe speed 471 6.1% 45 10.4%
Fatigued or asleep 321 4.1% 26 6.0%
Passed in no passing lane 107 1.4% 26 6.0%
Failed to control speed 682 8.8% 18 4.2%
Driver inattention 960 12.3% 16 3.7%
Failed to give half of roadway 768 9.9% 4 0.9%

Head On Is Not the Same as Wrong Way

Wrong way crashes and head on crashes overlap, but they are not the same thing. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute defines wrong way driving as traveling against the direction of traffic on a divided roadway, such as a freeway, and counted about 1,700 wrong way crashes on Texas controlled access highways from 2010 through 2019, about 170 a year, with 10% resulting in a fatality. [HO-051]

In 2025, officers cited "wrong way, one way road" in 409 head on crashes, 68 of them fatal: 5.3% of all head on crashes. Far more often, officers cited a vehicle leaving its own lane. [HO-052]

Contributing factors are coded by the investigating officer. A crash can list several, and they are not determinations of legal liability or of a single cause.

Undivided Two Lane Roads and the Center Line

CRIS attaches TxDOT's roadway inventory to crashes on the roads TxDOT maintains. That inventory covered 3,626 of the 2025 head on crashes, including 373 fatal ones. Everywhere else, the road type and median fields are blank, so the first two figures below describe inventoried roads, which closely track the state highway system (3,691 head on crashes carried the On System Flag). [HO-053, HO-032]

  • Two lane, two way roads: 61.0% of inventoried head on crashes and 67.0% of their fatal crashes, compared with 17.3% of all inventoried crashes. The 250 fatal crashes on these roads were 57.9% of every fatal head on crash in Texas. In rural areas alone, two lane, two way roads carried 227 fatal head on crashes, 52.5% of the statewide total. [HO-054, HO-055, HO-056]
  • No median: 79.9% of inventoried head on crashes and 81.8% of their fatal crashes happened where no median separated the two directions, compared with 37.9% of all inventoried crashes. [HO-057]
  • Curves: 24.9% of all head on crashes and 30.8% of fatal head on crashes happened on a curve, compared with 7.4% of all crashes. The officer records alignment for every crash, on any road. [HO-058]

A median barrier did not rule out a head on crash. In 2025, 354 head on crashes, 36 of them fatal, happened on roads coded with a positive median barrier. CRIS does not record how both vehicles came to be on the same side of the barrier. [HO-059]

What TxDOT Uses Against Head On Crashes

TxDOT's Strategic Highway Safety Plan counts head on crashes in which a vehicle was on the wrong side of the road but not passing, together with run off the road crashes, in its roadway and lane departure emphasis area. Its first strategy is to keep vehicles from encroaching on the roadside or the opposite lane, and the plan describes cable barriers as a tool that prevents head on collisions.

In its 2026 Highway Safety Improvement Program guidelines, TxDOT scores several projects against CRIS manner of collision code 30, the same definition this study uses. Installing a median barrier carries a 50% reduction factor, adding paved width to narrow two lane roads 30%, installing passing lanes 25%, and milled centerline rumble strips 15%. TxDOT also sets aside 15% of HSIP funds each year for an annual priority. For fiscal years 2026 through 2028, that priority is low cost countermeasures at curves and straightaways aimed at run off the road and head on crashes. [HO-060, HO-061]

TxDOT's State Systemic Widening program widens narrow, high risk state highways and adds centerline and edgeline rumble strips. TxDOT says narrow pavement and limited recovery space increase the likelihood and severity of head on crashes. Its Roadway Design Manual calls for rumble strips on rural high speed roadways during new construction, reconstruction, and overlay projects.

The most recent Texas evaluation of passing lanes, a 2025 Texas A&M Transportation Institute study of Super 2 highways, found that adding periodic passing lanes to rural two lane highways reduced total crashes by 21% and fatal and injury crashes by 16%. The study did not publish a separate estimate for head on crashes. [HO-062]

TxDOT's reduction factors are planning assumptions used to score and rank projects. They are not measured results for any particular Texas road, and they apply to the full set of crash types each work code lists.

Which Texas Counties Have the Highest Head On Crash Burden?

A county with the most fatal head on crashes is not necessarily the county with the highest rate. This study reports three measures for every county, pooling all seven years from 2019 through 2025 to steady small numbers: [HO-063]

  • The fatal head on crash count shows where the largest number of fatal head on crashes occurred.
  • Rates per 100,000 residents adjust for population.
  • Fatal head on crashes per 100 million vehicle miles adjust for reported travel on the roads in TxDOT's county roadway inventory.

Each measure answers a different question. A large county may lead in total fatal crashes because it has more people and more driving. A smaller county may have a higher rate because fatal crashes occurred disproportionately relative to its population or its recorded roadway travel. These measures describe reported crash burden, not legal fault, the cause of an individual collision, or the safety of every road in a county. No single measure defines the most dangerous county.

What the County Data Shows

  • Most fatal head on crashes: Harris County, 161. [HO-064]
  • Highest fatal rate per resident: Grimes County, 12.5 fatal head on crashes per 100,000 residents a year, compared with 1.4 statewide. [HO-065]
  • Highest fatal rate per vehicle mile: Fannin County, 0.86 per 100 million vehicle miles, compared with 0.155 statewide. [HO-066, HO-067]
  • Largest increase in head on crashes, 2019 to 2025: Hidalgo County, from 168 to 239. [HO-068]
  • Largest decrease in head on crashes, 2019 to 2025: Harris County, from 1,123 to 1,000. [HO-068]

The rate leaders are drawn from the 41 counties with at least 20 fatal head on crashes. The change measures compare all head on crashes in 2019 and 2025, because fatal counts in a single county are too small to rank year to year changes reliably.

Measured against the miles driven, the highest rates were in smaller counties. All 10 counties in the rate table below have fewer than 125,000 residents, and Fannin, Grimes, and Milam counties had rates more than five times the statewide rate of 0.155 fatal head on crashes per 100 million vehicle miles. [HO-066, HO-067]

Counties With the Most Fatal Head On Crashes, 2019 to 2025
County Head On Fatal Fatal or Serious Deaths Head On per 100,000 Residents a Year Fatal per 100 Million Vehicle Miles, All Inventoried Roads
Harris County 7,753 161 603 198 22.0 0.055
Bexar County 3,448 107 336 126 22.8 0.090
Travis County 2,434 106 304 124 25.0 0.138
Tarrant County 2,601 92 302 111 16.5 0.071
Dallas County 3,165 87 323 120 17.0 0.049
Montgomery County 1,818 61 216 73 33.2 0.147
Smith County 758 55 117 74 42.9 0.300
Ector County 462 46 82 63 38.0 0.379
Bastrop County 402 46 87 65 48.3 0.565
Brazoria County 762 45 139 54 26.0 0.213
Williamson County 750 45 118 54 14.2 0.119
Hidalgo County 1,460 43 151 55 22.6 0.097
Bell County 635 43 121 53 22.6 0.162
Liberty County 529 42 93 59 62.3 0.603
Denton County 821 39 108 46 11.0 0.079
Texas, all counties 55,123 3,160 8,107 4,185 24.8 0.155
Highest Fatal Head On Crash Rates, 2019 to 2025, Counties With 20 or More Fatal Head On Crashes
County Fatal Fatal per 100 Million Vehicle Miles, All Inventoried Roads Fatal per 100,000 Residents a Year Head On Deaths
Fannin County 23 0.857 8.4 110 35
Grimes County 30 0.824 12.5 196 41
Milam County 20 0.818 10.9 143 27
Liberty County 42 0.603 4.9 529 59
Bastrop County 46 0.565 5.5 402 65
Rusk County 21 0.556 5.5 175 28
Nacogdoches County 24 0.487 5.2 251 34
Henderson County 26 0.464 4.2 273 36
Burnet County 25 0.456 6.3 231 33
Polk County 21 0.430 5.6 203 28

County is the CRIS County field for the crash location. Vehicle miles are TxDOT's county daily vehicle miles traveled on the on system and off system roads in its roadway inventory, from the Roadway Data Tables, multiplied by the days in each year and summed for 2019 through 2025. Vehicle mile rates are exposure measures, not fault findings; they depend on TxDOT's traffic estimates for each road. Resident rates divide the seven year annual average by the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 county estimate for July 1, 2025, which slightly understates rates in fast growing counties, and they can run high in small counties crossed by busy highways, where many drivers may not be residents. Counties with fewer than 20 fatal head on crashes are left out of the rate rankings because a few crashes can swing a small county's rate. The full county dataset is in the Get the Data section.

Texas Highways With the Most Fatal Head On Crashes

The routes with the most fatal head on crashes are not always the routes with the highest fatal crash rates. This study reports total fatal crashes, fatal crashes per 100 route miles, and fatal crashes per 100 million vehicle miles on the route, which separates route length and traffic volume from a disproportionate fatal crash burden.

CRIS records the state highway route for crashes on the TxDOT system. From 2019 through 2025, 2,788 of the 3,160 fatal head on crashes in Texas, 88.2%, happened on a named state highway route. [HO-069]

What the Route Data Shows

  • Most fatal head on crashes: SH 21 (44), followed by US 59 (43), US 281 (41), and US 190 and US 67 (40 each). [HO-070]
  • Highest fatal rates, routes with 15 or more fatal head on crashes: FM 812, with 75.4 fatal head on crashes per 100 route miles and 2.79 per 100 million vehicle miles on the route. [HO-071, HO-072]
  • Change from 2019 to 2025: not ranked, because route designations and mileage changed during the period. Between the 2019 and 2025 inventories, US 77 went from 411.6 to 396.3 main lane miles and I-69E from 58.9 to 68.6. [HO-073]
State Highway Routes With the Most Fatal Head On Crashes, 2019 to 2025
Route Route Miles Head On Fatal Fatal or Serious Fatal per 100 Route Miles Fatal per 100 Million Vehicle Miles on the Route
SH 21 269 252 44 84 16.3 0.761
US 59 532 283 43 84 8.1 0.206
US 281 565 300 41 92 7.3 0.205
US 190 487 290 40 88 8.2 0.537
US 67 638 211 40 70 6.3 0.314
SH 105 151 286 39 79 25.9 0.839
SH 36 342 258 39 87 11.4 0.682
I-45 285 289 35 71 12.3 0.052
US 69 339 256 35 62 10.3 0.285
US 287 505 202 35 52 6.9 0.196
I-10 879 323 34 64 3.9 0.032
I-20 636 322 34 60 5.3 0.047
US 83 739 214 34 60 4.6 0.327
US 79 272 206 33 68 12.1 0.560
US 84 530 225 32 55 6.0 0.324

Long routes collect more crashes simply because they are long, so the table also shows rates. Adjusted for traffic, the highest rates among routes with at least 15 fatal head on crashes were on FM 812 (2.79 per 100 million vehicle miles on the route), US 57 (1.13), and SH 302 (1.09). The statewide rate for all inventoried roads was 0.155. [HO-072, HO-067]

Corridor counts identify where crashes were recorded; they do not establish that a road's design, maintenance, or traffic controls caused any individual collision. Route miles are 2025 main lane centerline miles. Route vehicle miles are TxDOT's daily vehicle miles traveled on the route's main lanes and frontage roads, multiplied by the days in each year and summed for 2019 through 2025, both from TxDOT's Roadway Data Tables. Vehicle mile rates are exposure measures, not fault findings. Rate rankings include only routes with 15 or more fatal head on crashes, and routes tied on fatal crashes are ordered by total head on crashes. Crashes off the state highway system carry no route name and are not included. The Methods section explains how crashes are assigned to routes.

The Largest Cities See Fewer Than Their Share

In 2025, every one of the 12 selected cities in this study had a lower head on share than Texas as a whole. Midland had the highest share, 1.40% of its reportable crashes, and Lubbock the lowest, 0.62%. Statewide, the share was 1.44%. [HO-074, HO-075, HO-008]

Together, the 12 cities recorded 35.5% of all reportable Texas crashes in 2025, but only 21.5% of head on crashes and 12.0% of fatal head on crashes: 52 of 432. [HO-076]

Head On Crashes in 12 Texas Cities, 2025
City All Crashes Head On Share Per 100,000 Fatal Fatal or Serious
Midland 2,643 37 1.40% 25.1 1 5
Fort Worth 15,679 210 1.34% 20.4 8 22
Austin 11,143 145 1.30% 14.5 8 16
Odessa 3,533 33 0.93% 26.9 0 2
Corpus Christi 7,245 64 0.88% 20.2 4 10
Dallas 24,685 217 0.88% 16.3 5 29
San Antonio 37,304 311 0.83% 20.1 10 29
McAllen 2,798 23 0.82% 15.3 2 3
Houston 60,379 467 0.77% 19.5 11 34
El Paso 14,728 96 0.65% 14.1 1 8
Laredo 6,020 38 0.63% 14.1 1 1
Lubbock 5,124 32 0.62% 11.7 1 3
12 cities combined 191,281 1,673 0.87% 18.0 52 162
Texas, statewide 539,112 7,783 1.44% 24.5 432 1,122

City ledger rows: [HO-074, HO-077, HO-078, HO-079, HO-080, HO-081, HO-082, HO-083, HO-084, HO-085, HO-086, HO-075]

The same pattern holds for Texas cities of 250,000 or more people combined. Together, those cities recorded 35.8% of all reportable crashes but 21.0% of head on crashes and 11.8% of fatal head on crashes. [HO-087]

City counts use the CRIS City field (the crash location city), not a city limits polygon. Fatal counts in individual cities are small, so a difference of a few crashes can change a city's rank. Population rates use the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimates and describe crashes per resident, not the risk to any individual driver. [HO-088, HO-089]

City Trends, 2019 to 2025

Counts moved more in some cities than in others. Lubbock and McAllen had the widest relative swings: Lubbock recorded between 32 and 63 head on crashes a year and McAllen between 13 and 25. Houston, with far more crashes, stayed between 467 and 611. The table shows every year; the city by year CSV in the Get the Data section adds severity detail. [HO-090]

Head On Crashes by City and Year, 2019 to 2025
City 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Total Fatal, 7 Years
Houston 562 517 611 605 543 544 467 3,849 64
Dallas 277 280 323 293 237 217 217 1,844 45
Fort Worth 220 205 251 208 188 163 210 1,445 54
Austin 176 156 196 184 172 137 145 1,166 37
San Antonio 382 328 441 391 359 360 311 2,572 66
El Paso 91 70 99 119 81 84 96 640 10
Midland 40 22 33 26 36 31 37 225 12
Odessa 43 26 28 40 26 30 33 226 13
Laredo 50 51 50 61 72 57 38 379 9
Lubbock 43 63 60 51 54 45 32 348 15
Corpus Christi 82 64 75 84 66 64 64 499 18
McAllen 21 19 24 20 13 25 23 145 5

TxDOT Districts

TxDOT divides the state into 25 districts. The fatal rate of head on crashes ranged from 2.5% in the Pharr district to 13.7% in the Bryan district, among districts with at least 100 head on crashes. Districts anchored by the largest metros recorded the most head on crashes; several largely rural districts recorded far higher fatal rates. [HO-091]

Head On Crashes by TxDOT District, 2025, Sorted by Fatal Crashes
District Head On Share of District Crashes Fatal Fatal Rate
Houston 1,583 1.08% 52 3.3%
Austin 720 2.10% 49 6.8%
San Antonio 724 1.25% 33 4.6%
Dallas 984 1.20% 32 3.3%
Fort Worth 676 1.71% 30 4.4%
Tyler 298 2.17% 29 9.7%
Bryan 205 2.43% 28 13.7%
Waco 242 1.75% 20 8.3%
Beaumont 296 2.18% 18 6.1%
Odessa 242 2.18% 18 7.4%
Paris 172 2.73% 18 10.5%
Corpus Christi 141 1.19% 15 10.6%
Yoakum 129 2.45% 12 9.3%
Lufkin 169 3.24% 11 6.5%
Amarillo 114 1.38% 11 9.6%
Pharr 363 1.48% 9 2.5%
Atlanta 144 2.35% 9 6.2%
El Paso 152 0.82% 7 4.6%
Laredo 97 1.13% 7 7.2%
Lubbock 89 1.07% 7 7.9%
San Angelo 56 1.51% 7 12.5%
Abilene 66 1.29% 5 7.6%
Brownwood 55 2.59% 3 5.5%
Wichita Falls 55 1.33% 1 1.8%
Childress 11 1.94% 1 9.1%

Head On Crashes in Linked Health Records

The Texas Department of State Health Services links crash reports with EMS and trauma registry records. In its most recent linkage, for 2023, the head on category, "Opposite direction, both going straight," accounted for 627 of 8,297 linked patients, or 7.56%. A 2024 edition had not been published as of September 23, 2026. [HO-092]

Head on crashes were 1.45% of reportable Texas crashes in 2023, but the head on category accounted for 7.56% of patients in the linked crash, EMS, and trauma records, about 5 times its share of crashes. [HO-093]

The comparison is approximate. DSHS counts patients and CRIS counts crashes, and one head on crash can injure several people. Only patients whose records DSHS matched across all three datasets are included.

DSHS reports do not provide a consistent year to year series. The 2021 three dataset report used different inclusion rules, which changed again in 2022 and 2023, so shares across years should not be read as a trend.

The Minimum Measurable Cost

For its Highway Safety Improvement Program, TxDOT assigns crash values of $4,290,000 for each fatal or serious injury crash and $360,000 for each minor injury crash in its 2026 program call. [HO-094]

Applied to the 1,122 fatal or serious head on crashes and 1,548 minor injury head on crashes recorded in 2025, those planning values total about $5.4 billion. Fatal or serious crashes account for 90% of that figure. [HO-095]

This is a floor, not a complete cost estimate. TxDOT does not publish a value for possible injury, or C, crashes or no injury, or O, crashes. Those categories accounted for 5,073 of the 2025 head on crashes.

TxDOT's figures are comprehensive costs based on National Safety Council values. The program call does not identify a dollar year. They are planning values used to rank safety projects, not medical bills, insurance payments, settlements, or verdicts.

The Dataset Behind Every Number

The complete city by year dataset covers Texas and all 12 cities from 2019 through 2025. It includes all crashes, head on crashes, and head on crashes by severity. The county dataset covers every Texas county with a head on crash from 2019 through 2025, with deaths, 2025 population, vehicle miles, rates per 100,000 residents, and fatal crashes per 100 million vehicle miles.

Every figure on this page appears in the ledger with one of three labels:

  • ORIGINAL: Calculated by this project from public records.
  • SOURCED: Quoted from a cited document.
  • DERIVED: Calculated from the original and sourced figures.
City by year dataset, CSV (91 rows)
geography,year,all_crashes,headon_crashes,headon_share_pct,headon_k,headon_a,headon_b,headon_c,headon_o,headon_unknown,headon_ka,all_k,all_ka
Texas,2019,562258,7715,1.37,460,650,1136,1447,3988,34,1110,3299,16210
Texas,2020,475275,6989,1.47,408,568,991,1255,3721,46,976,3545,15665
Texas,2021,552707,8323,1.51,458,841,1322,1341,4310,51,1299,4028,19799
Texas,2022,555691,8052,1.45,467,715,1336,1189,4285,60,1182,3968,19272
Texas,2023,559734,8120,1.45,479,756,1428,1189,4208,60,1235,3874,19105
Texas,2024,555039,8141,1.47,456,727,1551,1188,4180,39,1183,3772,18694
Texas,2025,539112,7783,1.44,432,690,1548,1081,3992,40,1122,3471,17878
Houston,2019,68850,562,0.82,6,29,56,135,328,8,35,241,1451
Houston,2020,58172,517,0.89,10,23,57,108,305,14,33,259,1448
Houston,2021,66887,611,0.91,6,41,68,128,358,10,47,308,1698
Houston,2022,67358,605,0.90,13,19,65,127,361,20,32,301,1629
Houston,2023,67498,543,0.80,7,20,72,126,303,15,27,275,1633
Houston,2024,66322,544,0.82,11,26,66,135,299,7,37,319,1619
Houston,2025,60379,467,0.77,11,23,52,116,260,5,34,273,1525
Dallas,2019,36825,277,0.75,9,23,37,59,149,0,32,172,1080
Dallas,2020,31986,280,0.88,5,26,46,49,153,1,31,204,1019
Dallas,2021,35326,323,0.91,5,22,52,67,171,6,27,208,1282
Dallas,2022,33959,293,0.86,7,10,52,48,174,2,17,212,1214
Dallas,2023,31638,237,0.75,5,17,41,46,124,4,22,197,1157
Dallas,2024,26126,217,0.83,9,28,47,22,107,4,37,207,1115
Dallas,2025,24685,217,0.88,5,24,44,33,108,3,29,165,1048
Fort Worth,2019,14874,220,1.48,7,9,25,71,108,0,16,85,429
Fort Worth,2020,12796,205,1.60,5,13,35,51,100,1,18,108,510
Fort Worth,2021,14720,251,1.71,12,17,47,63,112,0,29,117,554
Fort Worth,2022,13437,208,1.55,6,24,49,35,94,0,30,114,569
Fort Worth,2023,13519,188,1.39,11,14,34,33,94,2,25,109,546
Fort Worth,2024,12941,163,1.26,5,6,47,27,77,1,11,107,499
Fort Worth,2025,15679,210,1.34,8,14,54,46,87,1,22,107,582
Austin,2019,16028,176,1.10,6,10,49,41,69,1,16,89,575
Austin,2020,11819,156,1.32,4,5,32,37,76,2,9,88,453
Austin,2021,12571,196,1.56,10,18,52,48,66,2,28,107,559
Austin,2022,12938,184,1.42,1,13,48,45,74,3,14,112,574
Austin,2023,12327,172,1.40,4,19,40,34,74,1,23,89,507
Austin,2024,11401,137,1.20,4,9,41,29,54,0,13,93,459
Austin,2025,11143,145,1.30,8,8,37,32,57,3,16,94,371
San Antonio,2019,43096,382,0.89,3,27,40,94,216,2,30,146,693
San Antonio,2020,33574,328,0.98,9,28,40,64,186,1,37,144,585
San Antonio,2021,38852,441,1.14,14,21,73,72,256,5,35,180,726
San Antonio,2022,39646,391,0.99,14,26,75,57,215,4,40,188,734
San Antonio,2023,40345,359,0.89,8,18,70,56,199,8,26,166,705
San Antonio,2024,39690,360,0.91,8,18,85,53,193,3,26,164,754
San Antonio,2025,37304,311,0.83,10,19,74,36,168,4,29,160,654
El Paso,2019,16263,91,0.56,3,2,9,21,53,3,5,65,247
El Paso,2020,12497,70,0.56,2,3,8,18,39,0,5,56,194
El Paso,2021,15661,99,0.63,1,2,20,16,60,0,3,66,257
El Paso,2022,16299,119,0.73,1,12,23,13,67,3,13,65,292
El Paso,2023,15920,81,0.51,1,2,22,8,48,0,3,73,303
El Paso,2024,15205,84,0.55,1,4,20,10,49,0,5,67,279
El Paso,2025,14728,96,0.65,1,7,30,11,47,0,8,53,276
Midland,2019,4175,40,0.96,3,4,9,2,22,0,7,17,75
Midland,2020,2520,22,0.87,1,4,4,1,12,0,5,11,65
Midland,2021,2628,33,1.26,2,1,6,3,21,0,3,20,76
Midland,2022,2818,26,0.92,1,3,4,5,13,0,4,23,100
Midland,2023,2933,36,1.23,3,0,12,8,13,0,3,20,91
Midland,2024,2677,31,1.16,1,3,7,5,15,0,4,19,79
Midland,2025,2643,37,1.40,1,4,11,5,16,0,5,12,88
Odessa,2019,3739,43,1.15,1,2,8,5,27,0,3,22,81
Odessa,2020,2791,26,0.93,4,2,4,3,13,0,6,28,64
Odessa,2021,2909,28,0.96,2,2,3,3,18,0,4,19,70
Odessa,2022,3272,40,1.22,3,1,6,7,23,0,4,23,66
Odessa,2023,3493,26,0.74,2,2,3,5,14,0,4,13,60
Odessa,2024,3578,30,0.84,1,1,10,2,16,0,2,28,93
Odessa,2025,3533,33,0.93,0,2,9,3,19,0,2,13,70
Laredo,2019,5702,50,0.88,1,2,12,10,24,1,3,11,72
Laredo,2020,4418,51,1.15,0,2,8,8,33,0,2,11,53
Laredo,2021,5527,50,0.90,1,3,4,8,34,0,4,15,76
Laredo,2022,6040,61,1.01,4,3,10,13,31,0,7,20,98
Laredo,2023,6312,72,1.14,2,3,6,11,50,0,5,17,77
Laredo,2024,6508,57,0.88,0,1,8,9,39,0,1,18,76
Laredo,2025,6020,38,0.63,1,0,5,10,22,0,1,12,64
Lubbock,2019,6677,43,0.64,2,2,5,13,21,0,4,45,99
Lubbock,2020,6145,63,1.03,4,3,13,15,28,0,7,21,86
Lubbock,2021,7448,60,0.81,2,4,10,17,27,0,6,42,115
Lubbock,2022,6623,51,0.77,2,4,10,13,22,0,6,34,98
Lubbock,2023,6089,54,0.89,2,1,10,16,25,0,3,34,97
Lubbock,2024,5167,45,0.87,2,1,7,20,15,0,3,26,86
Lubbock,2025,5124,32,0.62,1,2,4,8,17,0,3,23,87
Corpus Christi,2019,8177,82,1.00,1,3,6,16,56,0,4,34,132
Corpus Christi,2020,6788,64,0.94,1,5,6,12,40,0,6,30,145
Corpus Christi,2021,7991,75,0.94,2,3,12,15,43,0,5,42,161
Corpus Christi,2022,7683,84,1.09,6,5,19,8,46,0,11,29,157
Corpus Christi,2023,7440,66,0.89,2,3,11,13,36,1,5,35,157
Corpus Christi,2024,7238,64,0.88,2,6,3,4,49,0,8,41,153
Corpus Christi,2025,7245,64,0.88,4,6,18,2,34,0,10,35,159
McAllen,2019,2980,21,0.70,0,1,2,11,7,0,1,6,68
McAllen,2020,2144,19,0.89,1,2,3,11,2,0,3,6,45
McAllen,2021,2610,24,0.92,1,2,4,13,4,0,3,9,48
McAllen,2022,2836,20,0.71,1,1,5,8,5,0,2,12,68
McAllen,2023,2968,13,0.44,0,1,3,4,5,0,1,8,48
McAllen,2024,2904,25,0.86,0,0,7,6,12,0,0,6,62
McAllen,2025,2798,23,0.82,2,1,11,6,3,0,3,11,51
County dataset, 2019 to 2025, CSV (253 rows)
county,headon_crashes,fatal_headon_crashes,fatal_or_serious_headon_crashes,deaths,population_2025,vehicle_miles_2019_2025,headon_per_100k_residents_per_year,fatal_per_100k_residents_per_year,fatal_per_100m_vehicle_miles
Anderson County,178,17,30,24,59805,3535666577,42.52,4.06,0.481
Andrews County,115,15,27,30,18914,2792396069,86.86,11.33,0.537
Angelina County,236,21,44,25,88154,6267605282,38.24,3.40,0.335
Aransas County,61,7,17,9,26146,1616388032,33.33,3.82,0.433
Archer County,26,6,9,7,9129,1131359479,40.69,9.39,0.530
Armstrong County,11,3,3,10,1843,1134589307,85.26,23.25,0.264
Atascosa County,123,6,25,6,53590,5764483283,32.79,1.60,0.104
Austin County,88,9,18,9,33625,4427846747,37.39,3.82,0.203
Bailey County,15,0,0,0,6963,675411758,30.77,0.00,0.000
Bandera County,125,9,31,10,22876,1314678396,78.06,5.62,0.685
Bastrop County,402,46,87,65,118908,8148120564,48.30,5.53,0.565
Baylor County,11,2,2,3,3472,683110792,45.26,8.23,0.293
Bee County,44,5,10,9,32515,1847921112,19.33,2.20,0.271
Bell County,635,43,121,53,402248,26563776564,22.55,1.53,0.162
Bexar County,3448,107,336,126,2160088,119376344739,22.80,0.71,0.090
Blanco County,88,15,33,21,13581,2201377724,92.57,15.78,0.681
Borden County,12,2,5,4,567,200012334,302.34,50.39,1.000
Bosque County,63,10,16,12,18918,1602958750,47.57,7.55,0.624
Bowie County,217,12,35,14,92696,8889837493,33.44,1.85,0.135
Brazoria County,762,45,139,54,419080,21087198197,25.98,1.53,0.213
Brazos County,267,16,42,18,249088,13042999624,15.31,0.92,0.123
Brewster County,14,4,7,6,9458,771461306,21.15,6.04,0.518
Briscoe County,2,0,0,0,1474,167374658,19.38,0.00,0.000
Brooks County,17,1,3,1,6579,1800793431,36.91,2.17,0.056
Brown County,72,5,13,6,38711,2574672846,26.57,1.85,0.194
Burleson County,97,13,25,17,20549,2415637756,67.43,9.04,0.538
Burnet County,231,25,60,33,57015,5484703498,57.88,6.26,0.456
Caldwell County,190,19,42,20,55150,4172552760,49.22,4.92,0.455
Calhoun County,53,8,10,10,19599,1630064236,38.63,5.83,0.491
Callahan County,52,9,18,12,14491,2955268802,51.26,8.87,0.305
Cameron County,594,16,56,23,433946,23132075968,19.55,0.53,0.069
Camp County,44,3,5,5,13380,823778002,46.98,3.20,0.364
Carson County,23,5,7,9,5805,2318724759,56.60,12.30,0.216
Cass County,106,12,31,15,28651,2513586455,52.85,5.98,0.477
Castro County,29,1,8,1,7295,820518789,56.79,1.96,0.122
Chambers County,151,11,30,16,57594,8506023489,37.45,2.73,0.129
Cherokee County,176,16,29,25,53337,3559170772,47.14,4.29,0.450
Childress County,7,0,0,0,6643,1231410415,15.05,0.00,0.000
Clay County,29,3,6,6,10764,2301541509,38.49,3.98,0.130
Cochran County,1,1,1,1,2546,295546261,5.61,5.61,0.338
Coke County,21,2,5,2,3412,523792660,87.92,8.37,0.382
Coleman County,33,8,15,12,7915,1086699570,59.56,14.44,0.736
Collin County,1016,32,136,40,1297179,61511581834,11.19,0.35,0.052
Collingsworth County,4,1,2,1,2487,251510057,22.98,5.74,0.398
Colorado County,85,10,21,12,21439,5501326680,56.64,6.66,0.182
Comal County,436,29,90,44,209166,15516407120,29.78,1.98,0.187
Comanche County,66,10,16,16,14432,1322165054,65.33,9.90,0.756
Concho County,18,2,8,4,3607,839634279,71.29,7.92,0.238
Cooke County,93,5,19,7,44461,5467537187,29.88,1.61,0.091
Coryell County,180,19,33,22,85592,3727029893,30.04,3.17,0.510
Cottle County,1,0,0,0,1224,179896990,11.67,0.00,0.000
Crane County,29,7,12,14,4554,896260396,90.97,21.96,0.781
Crockett County,24,5,6,5,2769,1736797731,123.82,25.80,0.288
Crosby County,5,0,1,0,4852,527044766,14.72,0.00,0.000
Culberson County,19,3,5,5,2267,2231711370,119.73,18.90,0.134
Dallam County,31,6,7,8,7508,1288300499,58.98,11.42,0.466
Dallas County,3165,87,323,120,2661397,177188567621,16.99,0.47,0.049
Dawson County,36,2,9,2,11776,1637269799,43.67,2.43,0.122
DeWitt County,39,7,10,7,20309,1972234141,27.43,4.92,0.355
Deaf Smith County,28,1,4,1,18626,1471311816,21.48,0.77,0.068
Delta County,8,0,2,0,5549,511829925,20.60,0.00,0.000
Denton County,821,39,108,46,1069346,49240369720,10.97,0.52,0.079
Dickens County,3,0,0,0,1692,302424703,25.33,0.00,0.000
Dimmit County,62,14,20,24,8024,1543017842,110.38,24.93,0.907
Donley County,17,4,7,6,3213,1574298664,75.59,17.78,0.254
Duval County,26,5,6,5,9402,1057412578,39.51,7.60,0.473
Eastland County,54,8,13,10,18143,3809291260,42.52,6.30,0.210
Ector County,462,46,82,63,173801,12153208185,37.97,3.78,0.379
Edwards County,5,0,2,0,1370,301461253,52.14,0.00,0.000
El Paso County,912,21,78,27,877858,46292109808,14.84,0.34,0.045
Ellis County,568,31,91,43,240867,18886266990,33.69,1.84,0.164
Erath County,143,15,25,23,43911,3724607721,46.52,4.88,0.403
Falls County,54,11,17,18,17869,2241981278,43.17,8.79,0.491
Fannin County,110,23,38,35,39265,2683374448,40.02,8.37,0.857
Fayette County,97,9,19,12,25459,5399553359,54.43,5.05,0.167
Fisher County,21,3,6,4,3692,500865480,81.26,11.61,0.599
Floyd County,2,0,0,0,4881,475297219,5.85,0.00,0.000
Foard County,3,0,0,0,1044,151763408,41.05,0.00,0.000
Fort Bend County,850,36,105,44,975191,36367131393,12.45,0.53,0.099
Franklin County,41,3,14,3,10994,1528236016,53.28,3.90,0.196
Freestone County,93,7,16,8,20811,4529381826,63.84,4.81,0.155
Frio County,45,8,14,13,18823,3647794815,34.15,6.07,0.219
Gaines County,52,5,13,9,23956,2409925093,31.01,2.98,0.207
Galveston County,524,21,53,25,372207,17591474223,20.11,0.81,0.119
Garza County,8,0,4,0,4510,1272697614,25.34,0.00,0.000
Gillespie County,104,11,31,18,28527,2609992690,52.08,5.51,0.421
Glasscock County,18,7,9,11,1128,1017892001,227.96,88.65,0.688
Goliad County,16,1,5,1,7208,950985503,31.71,1.98,0.105
Gonzales County,107,12,24,17,20159,4288702904,75.83,8.50,0.280
Gray County,29,5,8,8,20919,1936970045,19.80,3.41,0.258
Grayson County,371,27,75,32,153613,12121269700,34.50,2.51,0.223
Gregg County,350,16,50,20,126095,9728505413,39.65,1.81,0.164
Grimes County,196,30,55,41,34252,3639007711,81.75,12.51,0.824
Guadalupe County,334,16,56,21,201111,11936599136,23.73,1.14,0.134
Hale County,38,5,11,7,31819,2827176884,17.06,2.24,0.177
Hall County,7,0,1,0,2737,724453254,36.54,0.00,0.000
Hamilton County,29,3,11,7,8680,1047680326,47.73,4.94,0.286
Hansford County,6,0,2,0,4944,418071968,17.34,0.00,0.000
Hardeman County,11,0,4,0,3292,1107825093,47.73,0.00,0.000
Hardin County,155,9,21,13,58723,4090580217,37.71,2.19,0.220
Harris County,7753,161,603,198,5045026,294005441127,21.95,0.46,0.055
Harrison County,214,8,27,9,71956,7864783334,42.49,1.59,0.102
Hartley County,58,11,17,22,4904,1338514687,168.96,32.04,0.822
Haskell County,13,0,2,0,5499,704550700,33.77,0.00,0.000
Hays County,663,28,99,31,304390,17608355586,31.12,1.31,0.159
Hemphill County,8,0,0,0,3083,389412763,37.07,0.00,0.000
Henderson County,273,26,56,36,88595,5600781942,44.02,4.19,0.464
Hidalgo County,1460,43,151,55,921549,44290940669,22.63,0.67,0.097
Hill County,132,12,24,14,39503,7530613458,47.74,4.34,0.159
Hockley County,33,8,14,10,21600,1948156897,21.83,5.29,0.411
Hood County,220,17,50,18,70501,3689771920,44.58,3.44,0.461
Hopkins County,104,6,14,6,39063,5018818728,38.03,2.19,0.120
Houston County,94,16,27,24,22316,1860628105,60.17,10.24,0.860
Howard County,79,6,10,9,30504,4143276510,37.00,2.81,0.145
Hudspeth County,35,9,10,10,3433,4040815294,145.65,37.45,0.223
Hunt County,304,33,73,40,123336,9258010569,35.21,3.82,0.356
Hutchinson County,24,3,4,5,19633,1055388079,17.46,2.18,0.284
Irion County,9,2,2,2,1463,586657882,87.88,19.53,0.341
Jack County,29,6,9,11,9563,927443717,43.32,8.96,0.647
Jackson County,43,10,14,13,15393,2684185023,39.91,9.28,0.373
Jasper County,108,11,24,15,33075,3318481521,46.65,4.75,0.331
Jeff Davis County,8,0,0,0,1711,504989566,66.79,0.00,0.000
Jefferson County,692,24,71,31,254321,18627628523,38.87,1.35,0.129
Jim Hogg County,2,2,2,6,4555,387221177,6.27,6.27,0.517
Jim Wells County,82,8,13,9,38804,3496920660,30.19,2.95,0.229
Johnson County,612,35,125,46,218048,12416982814,40.10,2.29,0.282
Jones County,29,5,6,8,20861,1480735268,19.86,3.42,0.338
Karnes County,83,16,28,20,15018,2079245933,78.95,15.22,0.770
Kaufman County,487,30,97,42,209235,13678266602,33.25,2.05,0.219
Kendall County,177,12,39,16,53289,4012130820,47.45,3.22,0.299
Kenedy County,1,0,0,0,319,1247374076,44.78,0.00,0.000
Kerr County,119,15,32,26,54037,4235072139,31.46,3.97,0.354
Kimble County,22,3,5,4,4438,1913565042,70.82,9.66,0.157
King County,4,1,3,3,192,241901513,297.62,74.40,0.413
Kinney County,11,2,2,3,3128,571175579,50.24,9.13,0.350
Kleberg County,51,8,9,9,30315,2412265837,24.03,3.77,0.332
Knox County,5,1,1,1,3192,421071204,22.38,4.48,0.237
La Salle County,20,5,7,7,6517,3250459037,43.84,10.96,0.154
Lamar County,165,14,27,17,51503,3944590718,45.77,3.88,0.355
Lamb County,27,5,8,7,12579,1306582196,30.66,5.68,0.383
Lampasas County,61,8,15,12,23657,1974288249,36.84,4.83,0.405
Lavaca County,53,6,11,12,20651,1808687310,36.66,4.15,0.332
Lee County,88,14,31,19,18729,2239646903,67.12,10.68,0.625
Leon County,112,13,23,15,16894,4630773415,94.71,10.99,0.281
Liberty County,529,42,93,59,121364,6966304680,62.27,4.94,0.603
Limestone County,81,8,15,12,22849,1890931146,50.64,5.00,0.423
Lipscomb County,6,0,0,0,2955,278576026,29.01,0.00,0.000
Live Oak County,61,4,10,9,11929,4165327192,73.05,4.79,0.096
Llano County,95,10,26,13,23353,1764672714,58.11,6.12,0.567
Loving County,63,8,16,11,52,999524143,17307.69,2197.80,0.800
Lubbock County,455,30,63,43,328906,18542785926,19.76,1.30,0.162
Lynn County,9,0,1,0,6017,1185872438,21.37,0.00,0.000
Madison County,80,7,11,8,14226,3067600608,80.34,7.03,0.228
Marion County,37,2,8,2,9896,819036623,53.41,2.89,0.244
Martin County,91,12,26,13,5284,2963401302,246.03,32.44,0.405
Mason County,18,2,6,3,3990,573218665,64.45,7.16,0.349
Matagorda County,82,11,24,13,36463,2644665911,32.13,4.31,0.416
Maverick County,119,11,20,18,58823,3003215888,28.90,2.67,0.366
McCulloch County,29,5,10,5,7472,898892048,55.45,9.56,0.556
McLennan County,446,19,62,20,272020,22301009870,23.42,1.00,0.085
McMullen County,24,2,3,3,544,635841629,630.25,52.52,0.315
Medina County,149,13,29,14,56881,4377271524,37.42,3.26,0.297
Menard County,20,5,7,6,1956,480587818,146.07,36.52,1.040
Midland County,446,23,65,26,187855,15335695747,33.92,1.75,0.150
Milam County,143,20,38,27,26258,2444802156,77.80,10.88,0.818
Mills County,28,2,5,2,4580,697985276,87.34,6.24,0.287
Mitchell County,18,2,2,2,8947,2005129070,28.74,3.19,0.100
Montague County,58,7,16,11,21966,2277700752,37.72,4.55,0.307
Montgomery County,1818,61,216,73,781194,41571663247,33.25,1.12,0.147
Moore County,55,6,11,7,21891,1672685460,35.89,3.92,0.359
Morris County,35,3,9,6,12133,1345010751,41.21,3.53,0.223
Motley County,7,2,2,3,1043,146609360,95.88,27.39,1.364
Nacogdoches County,251,24,44,34,66035,4932228680,54.30,5.19,0.487
Navarro County,214,9,25,11,57181,6494018673,53.46,2.25,0.139
Newton County,59,10,15,12,11954,1108664825,70.51,11.95,0.902
Nolan County,57,8,17,14,14117,3213107036,57.68,8.10,0.249
Nueces County,614,29,77,39,352992,23413956940,24.85,1.17,0.124
Ochiltree County,18,2,3,4,9284,781304129,27.70,3.08,0.256
Oldham County,32,6,11,10,1783,2337485489,256.39,48.07,0.257
Orange County,221,18,42,22,86266,8303119898,36.60,2.98,0.217
Palo Pinto County,87,6,13,8,30791,3248345788,40.36,2.78,0.185
Panola County,127,15,32,23,23018,2800024760,78.82,9.31,0.536
Parker County,499,33,78,40,184767,13179688280,38.58,2.55,0.250
Parmer County,21,2,5,4,9678,1206946669,31.00,2.95,0.166
Pecos County,57,8,14,9,14560,3514838402,55.93,7.85,0.228
Polk County,203,21,50,28,53434,4886890888,54.27,5.61,0.430
Potter County,310,17,44,24,114453,9221114690,38.69,2.12,0.184
Presidio County,19,4,10,7,5433,579229372,49.96,10.52,0.691
Rains County,38,9,13,12,13542,984094675,40.09,9.49,0.915
Randall County,239,17,36,23,152351,7168501243,22.41,1.59,0.237
Reagan County,24,4,4,7,3166,877948884,108.29,18.05,0.456
Real County,21,2,6,2,2745,303140397,109.29,10.41,0.660
Red River County,65,10,17,13,11816,1226050302,78.59,12.09,0.816
Reeves County,166,12,31,19,12138,4982279734,195.37,14.12,0.241
Refugio County,31,5,8,5,6657,2028133240,66.53,10.73,0.247
Roberts County,14,0,0,0,867,241902331,230.68,0.00,0.000
Robertson County,84,12,29,15,17839,2547186887,67.27,9.61,0.471
Rockwall County,336,4,28,4,140738,7957610117,34.11,0.41,0.050
Runnels County,35,8,13,13,9693,1180354262,51.58,11.79,0.678
Rusk County,175,21,43,28,54854,3779811707,45.58,5.47,0.556
Sabine County,37,1,2,1,10012,786464350,52.79,1.43,0.127
San Augustine County,43,4,7,6,7722,805597191,79.55,7.40,0.497
San Jacinto County,101,3,20,4,29488,2458035028,48.93,1.45,0.122
San Patricio County,117,10,19,19,72053,6588120466,23.20,1.98,0.152
San Saba County,20,4,5,5,5787,559223822,49.37,9.87,0.715
Schleicher County,9,2,3,3,2245,347852198,57.27,12.73,0.575
Scurry County,41,6,9,13,16162,1855513108,36.24,5.30,0.323
Shackelford County,16,1,2,1,3197,424254676,71.50,4.47,0.236
Shelby County,113,7,13,13,24286,2139182974,66.47,4.12,0.327
Sherman County,23,7,10,11,2781,801020772,118.15,35.96,0.874
Smith County,758,55,117,74,252549,18327361344,42.88,3.11,0.300
Somervell County,48,10,15,14,10261,820701408,66.83,13.92,1.218
Starr County,131,5,12,5,66319,3223239374,28.22,1.08,0.155
Stephens County,23,1,2,1,9380,671615004,35.03,1.52,0.149
Sterling County,10,2,3,2,1349,664275829,105.90,21.18,0.301
Stonewall County,1,0,1,0,1186,206095466,12.05,0.00,0.000
Sutton County,13,2,3,2,3203,1821829100,57.98,8.92,0.110
Swisher County,5,1,1,1,6703,1268404158,10.66,2.13,0.079
Tarrant County,2601,92,302,111,2248466,130329043538,16.53,0.58,0.071
Taylor County,213,11,35,14,150077,9787226147,20.28,1.05,0.112
Terrell County,15,4,7,9,702,222288445,305.25,81.40,1.799
Terry County,16,4,6,7,11720,1578854360,19.50,4.88,0.253
Throckmorton County,3,0,0,0,1554,212955291,27.58,0.00,0.000
Titus County,118,5,19,9,31563,3480363538,53.41,2.26,0.144
Tom Green County,154,12,21,14,120602,6707051015,18.24,1.42,0.179
Travis County,2434,106,304,124,1389670,77007713053,25.02,1.09,0.138
Trinity County,55,4,9,4,14384,1084164359,54.62,3.97,0.369
Tyler County,95,14,20,19,20443,1595178985,66.39,9.78,0.878
Upshur County,159,6,28,11,44410,3078749477,51.15,1.93,0.195
Upton County,45,11,20,15,3131,938795339,205.32,50.19,1.172
Uvalde County,53,9,22,10,24963,2075541074,30.33,5.15,0.434
Val Verde County,76,3,8,10,47835,2171529522,22.70,0.90,0.138
Van Zandt County,170,15,37,22,66130,7025529802,36.72,3.24,0.214
Victoria County,113,12,26,13,92656,7649361600,17.42,1.85,0.157
Walker County,185,16,42,24,83842,7636728325,31.52,2.73,0.210
Waller County,207,13,41,14,69858,6868199369,42.33,2.66,0.189
Ward County,62,13,17,17,11125,3639820546,79.61,16.69,0.357
Washington County,113,10,19,13,38288,4172103798,42.16,3.73,0.240
Webb County,436,12,33,16,281224,14725533617,22.15,0.61,0.081
Wharton County,118,16,30,22,42060,4972677514,40.08,5.43,0.322
Wheeler County,19,4,4,6,4773,1540520778,56.87,11.97,0.260
Wichita County,136,9,17,9,129555,7564728176,15.00,0.99,0.119
Wilbarger County,24,1,3,1,12481,1846749912,27.47,1.14,0.054
Willacy County,15,0,2,0,19971,1491426662,10.73,0.00,0.000
Williamson County,750,45,118,54,752827,37953005930,14.23,0.85,0.119
Wilson County,149,12,30,13,56139,3467213688,37.92,3.05,0.346
Winkler County,84,16,27,20,7540,1867994129,159.15,30.31,0.857
Wise County,265,22,60,30,83778,7616406225,45.19,3.75,0.289
Wood County,156,13,40,18,49688,2807442074,44.85,3.74,0.463
Yoakum County,7,1,2,1,7438,931404090,13.44,1.92,0.107
Young County,38,6,10,6,18154,1185511088,29.90,4.72,0.506
Zapata County,16,3,5,6,13753,870807446,16.62,3.12,0.345
Zavala County,32,8,13,17,9037,1192060346,50.59,12.65,0.671
Data point ledger, 97 rows, in page order
ID Metric Geography Years Value Label
HO-001 Fatal crash rate: head on vs all crashes Texas 2025 5.55% vs 0.64% DERIVED
HO-002 Rural share of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes / of all crashes Texas 2025 53.0% / 73.4% / 27.4% DERIVED
HO-003 US and state highways plus Farm to Market roads: share of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes Texas 2025 39.4% / 77.5% DERIVED
HO-004 Posted 55 mph or higher: share of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes Texas 2025 34.2% / 80.6% DERIVED
HO-005 People killed in head on (code 30) crashes, from CRIS crash death counts Texas 2025 554 ORIGINAL
HO-006 Head on crashes (manner of collision code 30), reportable Texas 2025 7,783 ORIGINAL
HO-007 All reportable crashes Texas 2025 539,112 ORIGINAL
HO-008 Head on share of all reportable crashes Texas 2025 1.44% DERIVED
HO-009 Head on share of all fatal crashes Texas 2025 12.4% DERIVED
HO-010 Head on crashes per year / fatal head on crashes per year (range) Texas 2019 to 2025 6,989 to 8,323 / 408 to 479 ORIGINAL
HO-011 Fatal or serious (KA) rate: head on vs all crashes Texas 2025 14.42% vs 3.32% DERIVED
HO-012 Rank of head on among all manner of collision categories by fatal rate and by KA rate Texas 2019 to 2025 Fatal rate: #1 every year / KA rate: #1 in 2025, and #1 every year among categories with 100 or more crashes ORIGINAL
HO-013 Fatal crash rate by manner: one vehicle going straight / left turn across opposing traffic / rear end Texas 2025 1.70% / 0.55% / 0.22% DERIVED
HO-014 Fatal head on crashes that killed two or more people / share of fatal head on crashes vs all fatal crashes Texas 2025 99 / 22.9% vs 6.9% DERIVED
HO-015 Head on share of all traffic deaths in reportable crashes Texas 2025 14.7% DERIVED
HO-016 People killed in head on crashes, TxDOT Crash Facts Texas 2019 to 2025 595 / 539 / 609 / 635 / 635 / 617 / 555 SOURCED
HO-017 CRIS code 30 deaths vs TxDOT published head on deaths, largest difference in any year Texas 2019 to 2025 2 deaths DERIVED
HO-018 People in head on crashes / killed / suspected serious injury Texas 2025 23,051 / 554 / 1,313 ORIGINAL
HO-019 Drivers / passengers killed in head on crashes Texas 2025 416 / 109 ORIGINAL
HO-020 Motorcycle operators in head on crashes / killed Texas 2025 132 / 27 ORIGINAL
HO-021 Drivers ages 15 to 19; 20 to 24; 25 to 64; 65 and older in head on crashes: involved / killed Texas 2025 1,131 / 29; 1,799 / 49; 10,830 / 301; 1,514 / 63 ORIGINAL
HO-022 People in a commercial motor vehicle in head on crashes: involved / killed Texas 2025 1,732 / 9 ORIGINAL
HO-023 People killed in head on crashes wearing a shoulder and lap belt / unrestrained share where restraint use was recorded Texas 2025 316 / 30.8% (144 of 467) DERIVED
HO-024 People killed in vehicles who were not restrained, where restraint use applied and was known (all crash types) Texas 2025 45.94% SOURCED
HO-025 Head on crashes by severity K / A / B / C / O / unknown Texas 2025 432 / 690 / 1,548 / 1,081 / 3,992 / 40 ORIGINAL
HO-026 Head on share of all KA crashes Texas 2025 6.3% DERIVED
HO-027 CRIS rural reportable crashes vs TxDOT Crash Facts rural crashes Texas 2025 147,652 vs 147,617 DERIVED
HO-028 Fatal rate of head on crashes: rural vs urban Texas 2025 7.7% vs 3.1% DERIVED
HO-029 City streets: share of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes Texas 2025 37.3% / 10.0% DERIVED
HO-030 County roads: share of head on crashes / of all crashes; fatal rate / fatal head on crashes Texas 2025 19.1% / 7.4%; 1.4% / 21 DERIVED
HO-031 Fatal rate of head on crashes at 30 mph / 55 mph / 70 mph posted limits Texas 2025 0.8% / 8.7% / 17.6% DERIVED
HO-032 State highway system share of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes / of all crashes Texas 2025 47.4% / 86.3% / 58.1% DERIVED
HO-033 Commercial motor vehicle involved: share of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes / of all crashes Texas 2025 11.2% / 19.2% / 7.1% DERIVED
HO-034 Fatal head on crashes not at or related to an intersection or driveway Texas 2025 94.4% DERIVED
HO-035 Rural share of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes, range across years Texas 2019 to 2025 47.9% to 53.0% / 70.8% to 77.7% DERIVED
HO-036 Head on crashes / fatal head on crashes in the dark (not lighted, lighted, unknown lighting) Texas 2025 36.4% / 49.5% DERIVED
HO-037 Dark, not lighted: share of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes / of all crashes Texas 2025 19.5% / 38.9% / 9.2% DERIVED
HO-038 Fatal rate of head on crashes: dark, not lighted vs daylight Texas 2025 11.1% vs 4.3% DERIVED
HO-039 Busiest hour for head on crashes Texas 2025 17:00 to 17:59, 582 ORIGINAL
HO-040 Midnight to 5:59 a.m.: share of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes / of all crashes Texas 2025 11.3% / 22.5% / 9.6% DERIVED
HO-041 Three hour window with the most fatal head on crashes / head on crashes in that window Texas 2025 3 p.m. to 5:59 p.m.: 65 / 1,602 DERIVED
HO-042 Saturday and Sunday: share of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes / of all crashes Texas 2025 27.8% / 32.6% / 24.6% DERIVED
HO-043 Day with the most fatal head on crashes / its fatal rate Texas 2025 Sunday 73 / 7.2% ORIGINAL
HO-044 Rain recorded: share of head on crashes / of all reportable crashes Texas 2025 10.6% / 6.7% DERIVED
HO-045 Wet road surface: share of head on crashes / of all reportable crashes; fatal rate of head on crashes, wet vs dry surface Texas 2025 14.6% / 9.5%; 4.7% vs 5.7% DERIVED
HO-046 Head on crashes citing failed to drive in single lane: all / fatal Texas 2025 2,312 (29.7%) / 137 (31.7%) ORIGINAL
HO-047 Head on crashes citing at least one lane keeping factor: all / fatal Texas 2025 3,970 (51.0%) / 268 (62.0%) ORIGINAL
HO-048 Head on crashes citing at least one passing factor: all / fatal Texas 2025 252 (3.2%) / 37 (8.6%) ORIGINAL
HO-049 Head on crashes citing wrong side, not passing: all / fatal Texas 2025 866 (11.1%) / 138 (31.9%) ORIGINAL
HO-050 Head on crashes citing alcohol or drugs (under influence, intoxicated, or had been drinking): all / fatal Texas 2025 964 (12.4%) / 155 (35.9%) ORIGINAL
HO-051 Wrong way driving crashes on Texas controlled access highways: total / average per year / share fatal Texas 2010 to 2019 About 1,700 / about 170 / 10% SOURCED
HO-052 Head on crashes citing wrong way, one way road: all / fatal Texas 2025 409 / 68 ORIGINAL
HO-053 Head on crashes with TxDOT roadway inventory data Texas 2025 3,626 crashes, 373 fatal ORIGINAL
HO-054 Two lane, two way roads: share of inventoried head on crashes / of their fatal crashes / of all inventoried crashes Texas 2025 61.0% / 67.0% / 17.3% DERIVED
HO-055 Fatal head on crashes on two lane, two way roads as a share of all fatal head on crashes Texas 2025 57.9% DERIVED
HO-056 Fatal head on crashes on rural two lane, two way roads / share of all fatal head on crashes Texas 2025 227 / 52.5% DERIVED
HO-057 No median: share of inventoried head on crashes / of their fatal crashes / of all inventoried crashes Texas 2025 79.9% / 81.8% / 37.9% DERIVED
HO-058 On a curve: share of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes / of all crashes Texas 2025 24.9% / 30.8% / 7.4% DERIVED
HO-059 Head on crashes on roads coded with a positive median barrier Texas 2025 354 (36 fatal) ORIGINAL
HO-060 TxDOT reduction factors: median barrier / added paved width / passing lanes / milled centerline rumble strips Texas 2026 HSIP program call 50% / 30% / 25% / 15% SOURCED
HO-061 Share of HSIP funds for the annual priority, which targets curve and straightaway countermeasures for run off road and head on crashes Texas FY 2026 to 2028 15% SOURCED
HO-062 Super 2 highways vs traditional rural two lane highways: reduction in total / fatal and injury (KABC) crashes Texas 2003 to 2023 crash data 21% / 16% SOURCED
HO-063 Head on crashes / fatal head on crashes / deaths Texas, all counties 2019 to 2025 55,123 / 3,160 / 4,185 ORIGINAL
HO-064 Most fatal head on crashes of any county / fatal per 100 million vehicle miles Harris County 2019 to 2025 161 / 0.055 DERIVED
HO-065 Highest fatal head on crashes per 100,000 residents a year / statewide Counties with 20 or more fatal head on crashes 2019 to 2025 Grimes 12.5 / 1.4 DERIVED
HO-066 Highest fatal head on crash rates per 100 million vehicle miles Counties with 20 or more fatal head on crashes 2019 to 2025 Fannin 0.86; Grimes 0.82; Milam 0.82 DERIVED
HO-067 Fatal head on crashes per 100 million vehicle miles Texas 2019 to 2025 0.155 DERIVED
HO-068 Largest increase / largest decrease in head on crashes Texas counties 2019 vs 2025 Hidalgo 168 to 239 / Harris 1,123 to 1,000 ORIGINAL
HO-069 Fatal head on crashes on a named state highway route / all fatal head on crashes Texas state highway system 2019 to 2025 2,788 of 3,160 (88.2%) DERIVED
HO-070 State routes with the most fatal head on crashes Texas 2019 to 2025 SH 21 44; US 59 43; US 281 41; US 190 40; US 67 40 ORIGINAL
HO-071 Highest fatal head on crashes per 100 route miles Routes with 15 or more fatal head on crashes 2019 to 2025 FM 812 75.4 DERIVED
HO-072 Highest fatal head on crash rates per 100 million vehicle miles Routes with 15 or more fatal head on crashes 2019 to 2025 FM 812 2.79; US 57 1.13; SH 302 1.09 DERIVED
HO-073 Main lane centerline miles, US 77 / I-69E US 77 and I-69E 2019 and 2025 inventories 411.6 to 396.3 / 58.9 to 68.6 SOURCED
HO-074 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal Midland 2025 37 / 1.40% / 25.1 / 1 ORIGINAL
HO-075 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal Lubbock 2025 32 / 0.62% / 11.7 / 1 ORIGINAL
HO-076 Share of Texas reportable crashes / head on crashes / fatal head on crashes 12 study cities combined 2025 35.5% / 21.5% / 12.0% DERIVED
HO-077 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal Fort Worth 2025 210 / 1.34% / 20.4 / 8 ORIGINAL
HO-078 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal Austin 2025 145 / 1.30% / 14.5 / 8 ORIGINAL
HO-079 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal Odessa 2025 33 / 0.93% / 26.9 / 0 ORIGINAL
HO-080 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal Corpus Christi 2025 64 / 0.88% / 20.2 / 4 ORIGINAL
HO-081 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal Dallas 2025 217 / 0.88% / 16.3 / 5 ORIGINAL
HO-082 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal San Antonio 2025 311 / 0.83% / 20.1 / 10 ORIGINAL
HO-083 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal McAllen 2025 23 / 0.82% / 15.3 / 2 ORIGINAL
HO-084 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal Houston 2025 467 / 0.77% / 19.5 / 11 ORIGINAL
HO-085 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal El Paso 2025 96 / 0.65% / 14.1 / 1 ORIGINAL
HO-086 Head on crashes / share of crashes / per 100,000 residents / fatal Laredo 2025 38 / 0.63% / 14.1 / 1 ORIGINAL
HO-087 Share of all crashes / of head on crashes / of fatal head on crashes Texas cities of 250,000 or more 2025 35.8% / 21.0% / 11.8% DERIVED
HO-088 Resident population estimates (Vintage 2025) Texas and 12 cities July 1, 2025 Texas 31,709,821 SOURCED
HO-089 Head on crashes per 100,000 residents Texas 2025 24.5 DERIVED
HO-090 Head on crashes by city and year; seven year totals 12 study cities 2019 to 2025 Houston 3,849 to McAllen 145 ORIGINAL
HO-091 Highest / lowest fatal rate of head on crashes among districts with 100 or more head on crashes TxDOT districts 2025 Bryan 13.7% / Pharr 2.5% DERIVED
HO-092 Head on (opposite direction, both going straight) among linked crash, EMS, and trauma patients Texas 2023 627 of 8,297 (7.56%) SOURCED
HO-093 Head on share of reportable crashes (CRIS) vs of linked trauma patients (DSHS) Texas 2023 1.45% vs 7.56% DERIVED
HO-094 TxDOT cost per crash: fatal or serious (K or A) / minor injury (B) Texas 2026 HSIP program call $4,290,000 / $360,000 SOURCED
HO-095 Planning value calculation: 2025 K, A, and B head on crashes at TxDOT 2026 HSIP values (not medical bills, insurance payments, settlements, or total cost) Texas 2025 $5.37 billion DERIVED
HO-096 All opposite direction crashes (codes 30 to 39) / of which left turn across traffic (code 34) Texas 2025 53,767 / 40,149 ORIGINAL
HO-097 Head on crashes on main lanes / frontage roads / ramps and connectors; fatal head on crashes on main lanes / frontage roads / ramps and connectors Named state highway routes 2019 to 2025 96.3% / 2.6% / 0.8%; 98.6% / 1.0% / 0.4% DERIVED

How the Head On Crash Counts Were Calculated

How We Defined a Head On Crash

This study uses TxDOT Crash Records Information System manner of collision code 30: "Opposite direction, both going straight." The definition captures collisions in which two vehicles were traveling in opposite directions and both were recorded as proceeding straight at impact. TxDOT's Strategic Highway Safety Plan uses the same code for its head on crash definition, and TxDOT's crash data definitions describe a head on crash as a crash involving two vehicles traveling in opposite directions prior to impact.

It does not include opposite direction turning collisions, angle collisions, sideswipes, single vehicle crashes, or other crash types that may sometimes be described informally as head on. The study includes TxDOT reportable crashes occurring from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2025. CRIS results were queried on .

Crash level severity uses the most severe KABCO injury code recorded by the investigating officer. "Fatal" refers to crashes coded K. "Fatal or serious" refers to crashes coded K or A. Crash level severity should not be read as a count of people injured, diagnosed, or treated after a collision.

Where the study reports deaths or person level injuries, those figures come from the crash death counts and person records attached to the included code 30 crashes. Because crash records can be updated after annual reports are published, a CRIS query may differ slightly from TxDOT's annual Crash Facts snapshot.

The underlying crash records are public. The Texas Head On Collision Index is original in its head on specific filtering, data extraction, validation, calculations, comparisons, and editorial analysis. It is not a state issued ranking and does not claim exclusive access to TxDOT data.

The Index is a set of published measures, not a single score. Counts, shares, fatal rates, rates per 100,000 residents, and rates per 100 million vehicle miles are reported side by side, and no composite score or weighting is applied.

Every other opposite direction category is excluded, including codes 31 through 39, where one vehicle was backing, stopped, or turning. Angle crashes, same direction crashes, and single vehicle crashes are excluded as well. The distinction matters: if every opposite direction code were counted, the 2025 total would be 53,767 crashes, most of them left turns across oncoming traffic (code 34, 40,149 crashes). [HO-096]

Minimum Count Rules

Rankings based on small numbers can change with a single crash. County rate rankings include only counties with 20 or more fatal head on crashes from 2019 through 2025, and route rate rankings include only routes with 15 or more. Share killed is not shown for groups of fewer than 30 people, and fatal rates are not shown for conditions with fewer than 30 head on crashes. No county or route is described as the most dangerous on the strength of a small count.

Important Limits

CRIS data reflects officer reported crash records. It does not decide fault, legal liability, or the cause of an individual crash, and recorded conditions such as light, weather, and posted speed describe the setting of a crash, not its cause.

Population and vehicle mile rates are comparative measures, not predictions of any individual's crash risk. County vehicle mile rates use TxDOT's travel estimates for the roads in its county roadway inventory. Route rates use TxDOT's travel estimates for the route's main lanes and frontage roads as reflected in the roadway inventory. These rates should not be read as measures of all travel, all roads, or every possible crash exposure within a county or corridor.

How Crashes Are Assigned to Routes

The route analysis groups crashes by the CRIS Highway Name recorded for each crash. Each crash carries one route name, so it is counted once, under one route. From 2019 through 2025, 26,324 head on crashes carried a state highway route name. The CRIS Roadway Part field places 96.3% of them on main lanes, 2.6% on frontage roads, and 0.8% on ramps or connectors; for the 2,788 fatal ones, the shares were 98.6%, 1.0%, and 0.4%. The route vehicle miles cover main lanes and frontage roads, so nearly every route crash falls within the travel its rate is measured against. [HO-097]

Where two route numbers share one road, a crash is counted under the single route CRIS recorded. Concurrent routes, ramps, interchanges, and incomplete route coding can affect route level counts and rates.

Query Specification

Query specification: the CRIS query rules used in this study
Item Rule used
Query date TxDOT CRIS public query, September 23, 2026, between 16:37 and 20:34 UTC (11:37 a.m. to 3:34 p.m. Central); CRIS disclaimer date 09/23/2026
Unit counted Crashes (unique Crash IDs), analysis level Crash, unless a row says people
Year CRIS Crash Year field, calendar years 2019 through 2025; breakdowns use 2025
Reportable TxDOT Reportable Flag = true, the basis TxDOT Crash Facts uses
Texas Location filter All of Texas
Cities CRIS City field (crash location city), not a city limits polygon, full purpose area, or ETJ boundary
Counties CRIS County field for the crash location, 2019 through 2025 pooled
State highway routes CRIS Highway Name field, which names the route for crashes on the state highway system
Vehicle miles TxDOT Roadway Data Tables: county total daily vehicle miles traveled for on system and off system roads (table A5) and route total daily vehicle miles traveled for main lanes and frontage roads (table G4), times the days in each year
Head on Manner of Collision code 30 only; codes 31 to 39 and all angle, same direction, and single vehicle codes excluded
All crashes Every Manner of Collision value, including other and unknown
Severity CRIS Crash Severity, one crash level code for the most severe injury as coded by the officer: K, A, B, C, O (CRIS N), unknown; 7 crashes in 2025 carried code 95, autonomous, and count only in totals
Rural CRIS Rural Flag = true: outside any city or town of 5,000 or more people
State highway system CRIS On System Flag = Yes
Road class CRIS Road Class field, available for every crash
Road type and median CRIS Roadway Type and Median Type fields from TxDOT's roadway inventory; blank (No Data) off the inventory
Alignment, light, weather, surface, speed CRIS Roadway Alignment, Light Condition, Weather Condition, Surface Condition, and Speed Limit fields as recorded on the crash report
Contributing factors CRIS crash level factor list: any unit's contributing factors 1 to 3 and possible contributing factors 1 to 2
Deaths CRIS Crash Death Count summed over head on crashes
Raw data Every raw CRIS response, with its request, the query scripts, and the city by year dataset above are retained with this study

Population rates use Census Bureau Vintage 2025 July 1 population estimates. "Fatal or serious" refers to the combined KA category: K, fatal, and A, suspected serious injury. The fatal rate is the share of head on crashes coded K.

The study relies on aggregate public records. It does not identify people involved in any crash.

Primary Texas Sources Used in This Index

Every source is a Texas agency, a Texas university, or a federal dataset filtered to Texas. Readers can review the underlying sources directly:

Public Interest Traffic Safety Research

The Texas Head On Collision Index was prepared by J. Alexander Law Firm as public interest traffic safety research. It relies on aggregate public records and does not identify anyone involved in a crash. It is not legal advice.

Josh Alexander, founder and managing attorney of J. Alexander Law Firm, reviewed the index.

Related research includes The Texas Rear End Crash Index, The Texas After School Crash Window, and The Texas Red Light Camera Shutdown. For legal information after a crash, see the firm's Texas head on collision page.

This is Edition 1, published , using a TxDOT CRIS public query accessed . Planned updates include road segment hot spots within the highest rate corridors and a year by year road design series.

For media or research inquiries, use the firm contact page.

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