College Station, TX

History of Accidents in College Station

Located in the heart of East-Central Texas in the region known as the Texas Triangle, College Station has an estimated population of around 121,000. This city is aptly named, considering it's the site of the main campus of world-renowned Texas A&M University. While there might be an expectation that a city filled with young adults for nine months of the year might have some relatively high accident rates, the truth is that for a city of its size, College Station's annual accident volumes are decidedly below average.

In fact, there were only 1,726 accidents reported by Texas A&M University Police in 2014. This figure did rise to 1,829 in 2015 and 1,933 in 2016, but this represents the high point over the last five-year period. In fact, accident rates in both 2017 and 2018 declined, first to 1,682 and then to 1,676. Overall, even taking the rate spike leading up to 2016 into account, this makes it less likely to have an accident in College Station today than five years ago.

This general trend of accident volumes starting low, spiking high, and then declining again is in line with the nation's accident rates for the years of 2014 through 2018. 2016 represents a high point in accident volume nationwide, followed by two years of continual decline, and this matches College Station's pattern perfectly. The impetus behind this national trend, and by extension the one in College Station, is likely economic.

History of Fatalities in College Station

Research shows that better economic conditions in 2015 made it more affordable for Americans to drive, which coincided with so many more people on the road that there were more accidents. This also had an impact on the fatality rate across the US, which likewise went up through 2016 and then began to decline in the years following. In fact, College Station's fatality rates during this time are reminiscent of this trend, though they don't match the pattern perfectly. In fact, the city experienced its most deadly year in 2017 instead of 2016, but other than this the "quick rise and slow decline" trend is repeated.

What is even more remarkable about College Station's fatality rates over the past five years is that it was so numerically low. For example, 2014 had only two fatalities, while 2015 and 2016 had just five each. 2017, meanwhile, had six, followed by 2018's three. In other words, College Station experienced fewer fatal crashes in five years than most cities of the same size would experience in just a single year. It turns out that, as far as fatal traffic crashes are concerned, the city is one of the safest in the state. This is obviously good news for any parents that are worried about the safety of any children they send to Texas A&M University! As far as what's responsible for such a low accident rate, relative smarts may be playing a role; College Station was found to be the most educated city in Texas as recently as 2007.