Wrong direction

Dallas has the 6th worst drivers in the nation, new study finds

I-635 US-75 central expressway LBJ freeway

Don't drive distracted, Dallas.

Courtesy photo

Dallas has long been classified as one of the most traffic-ridden cities in the U.S., and its drivers are now being ranked among the worst in the nation, according to a new study by Forbes Advisor.

In its report "Cities With The Worst Drivers, Ranked," published February 8, Forbes Advisor analyzed the 50 most populated U.S. cities across five metrics to determine which have the worst drivers in the country. Those metrics, calculated per 100,000 city residents using a five-year average from 2017-2021, were: total number of fatal car accidents, number of people killed in fatal crashes, and number of fatal car accidents involving a drunk, distracted, or speeding driver.

Dallas ranked No. 6 overall, earning a score of 90.97 points out of a possible 100, just 0.22 points behind No. 5-ranking Kansas City, Missouri.

The report found Dallas had the third-highest number of fatal car accidents involving a drunk driver, with 6.25 crashes per 100,000 residents.

This troubling discovery isn't exclusive to Dallas; Texas as a whole struggles with drunk drivers. More than five people are killed in car crashes involving a drunk driver for every 100,000 Texans, according to a 2023 Forbes report.

Dallas ranked No. 4 in the category for the highest number of fatal car accidents involving speeding: 5.69 per 100,000 residents.

The number of fatal car crashes involving distracted drivers was Dallas' lowest statistic. Less than one fatal car accident (0.69) occurred per 100,000 residents.

Here's how Dallas ranked in the remaining two categories:

No. 7 – Total number of fatal car accidents (14.61 per per 100,000 residents)
No. 7 – Number of people killed in fatal crashes (15.77 per 100,000 residents)

Forbes Advisor concluded that three of the top-15 U.S. cities with the worst drivers were located in Texas. Fort Worth came in three spots behind Dallas, as No. 9, with a score of 78.03, and San Antonio ranked No. 12.

Approximately 10.60 total fatal crashes occur per 100,000 residents in Fort Worth, the study found.

Here's how Fort Worth compared to the rest of the cities in the report:

No. 5 – Number of fatal crashes involving a drunk driver (4.7 per 100,000 residents)
No. 11 – Number of fatal crashes involving a distracted driver (0.92 per 100,000 residents)
No. 12 – Number of fatal crashes involving speeding (3.68 per 100,000 residents)
No. 18 – Number of people killed in fatal crashes (11.48 per 100,000 residents)

The most dangerous U.S. city to drive in, Forbes says, is Albuquerque, New Mexico. Albuquerque leads with the highest number of fatal car accidents involving a distracted driver, at 5.42 crashes per 100,000 city residents.

The study calculated five-year averages using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool for the years 2017-2021, and U.S. Census Bureau city population data from 2022.

The report and its methodology can be found on forbes.com.

dallas driving texas reports forbes

Weed News

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Dallas over decriminalization of marijuana

Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife

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The City of Dallas has been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for its efforts to decriminalize marijuana.

According to a release, Paxton has sued the city for adopting a city charter amendment that would decriminalize marijuana-related offenses and prohibit police from enforcing Texas law.

That amendment was Proposition R, or Dallas Freedom Act, which decriminalizes possession of four ounces of marijuana or less. Voters passed the amendment in the November 5 election, with 67 percent voting in favor.

The lawsuit, filed against the Dallas City Council, alleges that Proposition R is unconstitutional and violates Texas drug laws criminalizing any amount of marijuana.

Paxton says that cities can't "pick and choose which state laws to follow." He's proposing a permanent injunction to stop Proposition R from going into effect.

"The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them," says Paxton in a statement. "This is a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution, and any city that tries to constrain police in this fashion will be met swiftly with a lawsuit by my office.”

Before the recent election, possession of two to four ounces of marijuana could result in a punishment of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Ground Game Texas, the activist nonprofit that has also helped get marijuana decriminalization on the ballot in elections across Texas, first got the issue on the ballot in July with the necessary 50,000 signatures.

Dallas is not the only city to be sued; Paxton also filed lawsuits against five other cities in Austin, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and San Marcos in January for their ballots and policies decriminalizing marijuana.

Both Austin and San Marcos had a judge overturn their cases, according to a FOX 4 report.

marijuana

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Weed News

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Dallas over decriminalization of marijuana