Temple, TX

History of Accidents in Temple

Compared to cities of comparable size in Texas, Temple has a relatively high number of accidents. In addition, the accident rate in Temple was inconsistent year-to-year.

The year 2014 was a mid-range accident year for Temple, with 1,285 accidents. The next year, 2015, saw slightly fewer accidents (1,203 for the whole year) but not enough to be statistically significant.

What’s more interesting is the fact that Temple’s accident rate cut almost in half in 2016, with just 656 accidents that year. Then, in 2017, the accident rate nearly tripled, reaching a whopping 1,739 accidents--the highest annual reported accident rate in our five-year measurement period.

Finally, in 2018, the accident rate went down slightly from the previous year (1,709) but not enough to be statistically significant.

From this, we can see a peculiar trend in Temple--two periods of two-year declines, separated by a sharp decrease in the middle that was more than made up by the following year.

Interestingly, this trend is almost the reverse of Bell County as a whole, which had 5,432 accidents in 2014, 5,524 accidents in 2015, 6,200 accidents in 2016, and 5,885 accidents in 2017, respectively.

In Temple, the ebb and flow of accidents are likely due to two projects:

1. The I-35 expansion
2. The Loop 365 Project

The I-35 expansion, also called the I-35 Waco Project 2B, is a construction project designed to widen I-35 from four lanes to eight lanes for 7.6 miles from South Loop 363 to North Loop 363.

As the regional population grows, there has been increased demand on the roads, including the I-35 corridor. Unfortunately, the demand for the roads exceeds the current road capacity to meet them.

So, in order to lessen congestion, the I-35 expansion began. Besides expanding the lanes, the project aims to bring local infrastructure up to par with the most current TxDOT and FWHA standards.

That project began in 2012 and was due for completion in spring of 2019, though many city officials say this deadline is overly optimistic.

Making matters worse, the Temple City Council approved $5 million worth of work on Old Waco Road in 2018. This road is supposed to become part of the eventual Outer Loop, which will wrap around West Temple and connect to I-35 at each end.

This, of course, leaves much of Temple under road construction--to the irritation and confusion of Temple residents.

History of Fatalities in Temple

The trend in overall accidents in Temple is also inconsistent with the total number of fatal accidents in Temple in the same period.

In 2014, there were six fatal accidents. In 2015 and 2016, the fatal accident rate almost doubled with ten fatal accidents in each year. The fatal accident rate decreased slightly in 2017, but it was cut in half in 2018 with just three fatal accidents for the whole year.

But Temple is more consistent with Bell County as a whole when it comes to fatal accident trends. In 2014, Bell County had 31 fatal accidents. In 2015 and 2016, there were 39 fatal accidents each, and in 2017, there were 52. While 2017 is inconsistent between Bell County and Temple, the general upward trend in the first three years holds steady between them.

Fortunately for the residents of Temple, traffic and confusion surrounding ongoing construction projects have not sharply increased fatalities in the area. Still, residents of Temple should be careful to check the status of construction anytime they hit the road.