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Richardson, TX

Part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and nestled between Plano to the north and Garland to the south and east, the city of Richardson is home to around 116,000 residents. Richardson is best known for being the home of the University of Texas at Dallas, but it can also experience high levels of traffic, especially where State Route 75 crosses Interstate 635.

As always, with high traffic comes accidents, though for a city of its size Richardson isn't necessarily out of line when it comes to the average number of accidents it experiences. In fact, even at its busiest point over the past five years, the city only had 2,440 recorded accidents. This compares favorably to many other cities of similar populations throughout Texas.

Richardson has also trended well within national patterns when it comes to accident volumes from 2014 through 2018. Where US averages began low in 2014, rose through 2016, and then began to decline slightly through 2018, so did Richardson's accident rates. The city experienced just 1,962 accidents in 2014 before watching rates rise to 2,233 in 2015 and then to that 2,440 high point in 2016 before dropping back down to 2,272 in 2017 and 2,186 the following year. While the exact ratios may be off when it comes to matching Richardson against the national average, the general trends more than match, indicating that the same conditions that influenced the majority of the US also likely played a role in this Texas city.

When it comes to understanding these conditions, researchers have not been shy in pointing the finger at possible causes. The most likely culprit is, ironically enough, economic conditions becoming better across the United States beginning in 2015. Unemployment hit new lows that year, which meant the majority of Americans were back at work and earning a living at this time. Combined with some of the cheapest gas prices in nearly a decade, the cost of keeping a car became more affordable at the same time. This combination of most people in the US having more money on hand and it being less financially burdensome to own a car led to many more people on the road. The side effect, unfortunately, is thought to be higher accident volumes.

In addition to a higher number of accidents occurring during this time, the number of traffic-related fatalities also increased according to the NHTSA. The government agency found that peaks and valleys for death rates in the US matched accident rates, with the safest years being 2014 and 2015, the most deaths occurring in 2016, and fatality rates declining slightly into 2017 and 2018. Again, Richardson mimics this trend almost exactly with 7 deaths in 2014, 10 in 2015, and 11 -- a high point -- in 2016. Deaths then dropped off in 2017 and 2018, first to 4 and then 5. This is divergent from national averages but still close enough to be clearly related.

All in all, Richardson's accident rates and yearly fatalities are more or less in line with national averages, making them likely to be controlled by the same conditions. This has been true in the past, and will likely remain that way in the future.

In addition to a higher number of accidents occurring during this time, the number of traffic-related fatalities also increased according to the NHTSA. The government agency found that peaks and valleys for death rates in the US matched accident rates, with the safest years being 2014 and 2015, the most deaths occurring in 2016, and fatality rates declining slightly into 2017 and 2018. Again, Richardson mimics this trend almost exactly with 7 deaths in 2014, 10 in 2015, and 11 -- a high point -- in 2016. Deaths then dropped off in 2017 and 2018, first to 4 and then 5. This is divergent from national averages but still close enough to be clearly related.

All in all, Richardson's accident rates and yearly fatalities are more or less in line with national averages, making them likely to be controlled by the same conditions. This has been true in the past, and will likely remain that way in the future.