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Over 44% of deadly accidents in Texas involved an impaired driver.
The Lone Star State has the fifth-highest number of fatal car accidents around the Christmas and New Year's holidays, according to new study based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.
Financial security website
HelpAdvisor identified the rates of deadly holiday driving in each state and found that Texas had one of the highest rates of fatal holiday crashes per 100,000 drivers.
What’s more, fatal holiday car collisions in Texas were more likely to involve drunk or impaired driving than in other states, according to the analysis.
More than 44% of deadly accidents in the Lone Star State involved a driver who was impaired by alcohol and had a blood-alcohol content reading above the legal limit. That rate was well above the national average of 33%, the report states.
The study analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to find the scope of fatal crashes that occur on the three days surrounding Christmas and New Year’s Day in each state. The data spanned 2015 to 2019 — the most recent data available.
Texans don't seem to limit their impaired driving to the holidays, however. A
July 2021 study by insurance site BuyAutoInsurance.com named the Lone Star State as the fourth-worst in the nation when it comes to drunk driving deaths, holidays or no.
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