Heading out for the holidays? These are the most dangerous places to drive in Texas during winter

AUSTIN, Texas - As the holidays near, many families will be preparing to embark on long road trips, and while safety should always be a priority, there are some areas in Texas where experts say drivers should use extra caution. 

Online tire shop Priority Tire conducted a study analyzing some of the most dangerous parts of Texas to drive in the winter, when there’s typically an uptick in holiday travel. 

The study compared 10 years of fatal traffic crash data with population figures to determine which metropolitan areas carry the most risk for winter travelers. 

Top 10 most dangerous metro areas for winter travel 

What we know:

Odessa, the metropolitan area covering Ector County, was found to be the most dangerous. Researchers said a total of 120 traffic fatalities were recorded across the 10 winters studied. That’s an average of 7.06 road deaths per 100,000 residents every winter. 

The data also placed Odessa as the third most dangerous metro area in the nation when looking at the number of traffic fatalities and population size. The national average is 2.54 deaths per 100,000 residents. 

Midland recorded the same number of winter fatalities during the decade studied, but ranked as the second most dangerous metro area due to its population size. According to the study, Midland averaged 6.36 road deaths per 100,000 residents every winter. 

The Midland area sits fifth nationally, above Dallas-Fort Worth, the state’s most populous metropolitan area. 

Tyler was found to be Texas’ third most dangerous metropolitan area for winter travelers. There were 146 road deaths recorded in the area, or an average of 5.68 fatalities per 100,000 people. 

Researchers noticed a large uptick in traffic fatalities in Tyler during the months of December and January. According to the study, more than two thirds of road deaths occurred during those months. 

Longview ranked fourth, followed by Texarkana, Eagle Pass, Lubbock, Victoria, Beaumont-Port Arthur and Amarillo. 

The safest area for drivers 

Brownsville-Harlingen was ranked as the safest area to drive during the winter, with an average of 1.57 deaths per 100,000 residents. That’s less than a quarter of Odessa’s rate. 

Data should be heeded as a warning, experts say 

Dig deeper:

Experts noted that the areas that ranked as the most dangerous all lie outside of Texas’ big four metro areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. 

"They are also more rural, meaning that speed limits are generally higher and help is further away for drivers who need it," a spokesperson for Priority Tire said. 

The study did not include information on what caused these road deaths. However, experts said the data should be heeded as a warning. 

"The winter figures are a warning for anyone hitting the road this Thanksgiving," a Priority Tire spokesperson said. "Across the winters of 2014 to 2023, 7,191 people died on the roads of Texas' 26 metropolitan areas, more than 700 every winter."

AAA has continued to increase estimates for how many people will be on the roads over the holidays, with at least 73 million Americans traveling by car for Thanksgiving last year. 

Steps you can take to stay safe 

What you can do:

Officials said travelers should aim to do the longest stretch of their drive in the daylight and make sure that their vehicle is in good condition before hitting the road. 

This includes checking tire pressure, which can be affected by cold air, and making sure tire tread depth is up to standard. 

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