Schuelke Law Discusses How Fatal Traffic 2024 Crash Data Shows Little Improvement

KXAN’s collection of fatal traffic accident data shows that Austin’s 2024 death rates aren’t improving much over 2023. 

Austin set a record high for traffic accident deaths in 2022, with 122 total fatalities. These deaths included drivers, passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. 

In 2023, 94 total traffic deaths were reported in Austin. The city has recorded 78 traffic deaths as of October 26, 2024, placing it on track to match or even exceed the 2023 totals, according to KXAN. 

Traffic fatalities in Austin dropped in the mid-2010s but spiked in 2021 and 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic. While these rates dropped in 2023, they appear to be leveling out again in 2024. Instead of continuing to decline, rates are coming closer to 2020’s total of 93 fatalities instead of returning to 2014’s low of 63 deaths. 

So far, in 2024, the Austin Police Department has recorded 33 pedestrian deaths, 32 deaths of drivers or vehicle passengers, 10 motorcyclist deaths, and 3 bicyclist deaths. Traffic fatalities were highest in July, August, and September 2024, with 10 or more fatalities in each of those three months. Nine deaths were recorded in February, again in March, and in May. January saw the lowest fatality rate to date in 2024, with two deaths. 

“These numbers show that Austin still has work to do to make streets safer,” says experienced Austin personal injury lawyer Brooks Schuelke. 

Austin’s numbers parallel those in other parts of the state. Traffic crash deaths dropped 4.1 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Over 18,000 people suffered serious injuries in Texas crashes in 2023, and over 250,000 suffered some type of injury – ranging from mild bumps and bruises to life-threatening harm. Texas allows those injured by another’s negligence on the road to seek compensation.