Grand Prairie, TX

History of Accidents in Grand Prairie

Grand Prairie’s accident rates from 2014 through 2018 have much in common with the rest of the state. In fact, the national trends for these same years match in that 2014 had relatively low crash numbers which then increased significantly from 2015 and 2016. 2017 and 2018 saw these figures begin to recede once more, but the end result, almost invariably, is that net accident rates were much higher in 2018 as they were in 2014.

This is obvious with just one look at Grand Prairie’s figures. There were 3199 accidents in the city in 2014, a number that increased first to 3525 in 2015 and then to 3916 the following year. This represents a peak not just in Grand Prairie but nationwide, where accident numbers reached an 8-year high across the country. Thankfully, 2017 and 2018 saw these numbers begin to decline first to 3905 and then more significantly to 3776. Coming off such a high makes even slow improvement good news. So what’s been behind this particular trend, both in Grand Prairie and beyond? Simply said, the driving forces are thought to have been economic. Lowered unemployment rates and cheaper gas prices going into 2015 made it much more affordable to keep a car on the road that year, and the American public responded. Unfortunately, a side effect of more people on the road across the US meant a naturally higher accident volume. In a state like Texas, where many of the state’s residents rely on motor vehicle transportation because of its expansive size, this meant that the impact was felt even harder.

History of Fatalities in Grand Prairie

There were impacts when it came to the number of fatalities in Grand Prairie as well. However, here there are some points where fatality trends in the city did not correlate to those nationwide. NHTSA data shows that accident rates and fatalities followed the same trend, with 2016 the most deadly year on America’s roads over the last five years. Yet here, Grand Prairie’s deadliest year was obviously 2014, which is curious because of how few overall deaths there were that year across the nation.

Yet a clearer picture emerges when taking the kinds of fatalities that the city tends to get. Alcohol-related fatal accidents were very high in Grand Prairie, with a total of 24 over the past five years, easily outstripping other causes like speeding or distracted driving. Even the number of motorcycle fatalities was relatively low despite how traditionally dangerous it is for many motorcyclists on our nation’s roads. It seems Grand Prairie, much like many Texas towns, may have a bit of a drinking problem!