HOUSTON, TX – November 12, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
Charles J. Argento & Associates, a Houston personal injury firm, is highlighting early federal estimates that project about 1,851 traffic deaths in Texas in the first half of 2026, roughly flat from the 1,856 projected for the same period in 2025. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released the estimates on November 10, 2026.
NHTSA estimated that 16,750 people died in traffic crashes nationwide from January through June 2026, a decrease of about 2.5 percent from 17,175 in the first half of 2025. The agency projected decreases in 35 states and Puerto Rico and increases in 15 states and the District of Columbia. National fatalities fell about 5 percent in the first quarter but only 0.2 percent in the second. If realized, the national rate of 1.02 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled would be the second-lowest for a first half, behind 1.01 in the first half of 2014.
In NHTSA’s state table, Texas had the largest estimated number of deaths, ahead of California at 1,825 and Florida at 1,439. NHTSA estimated the Texas fatality rate at 1.19 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, compared with 1.02 nationally, and down from 1.20 in the first half of 2025. Texas’s four neighboring states all had estimated decreases: Louisiana 9.7 percent, Oklahoma 12.3 percent, Arkansas 6.6 percent, and New Mexico 4.6 percent.
NHTSA said the state estimates are projections that will be revised as final crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System become available. It said projections for the first nine months of 2026 will be released in late December.
The Texas Department of Transportation reported 3,763 traffic deaths in Texas in 2025, down nearly 10 percent from 4,162 in 2024, in a November 5, 2026 announcement. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles estimates that 11.87 percent of Texas drivers were uninsured as of September 2025, according to its TexasSure insurance verification page.
Texas Insurance Code section 1952.101 requires auto insurers to provide uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless the named insured rejects it in writing. Texas also requires liability insurance of at least $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage under Transportation Code section 601.072.
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 33.001, a claimant may not recover damages if the claimant’s percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent. Section 33.012 reduces a recovery by the claimant’s percentage of responsibility and applicable settlement credits, and section 16.003 generally gives an injured person two years to file a personal injury lawsuit, though exceptions can apply.
Charles J. Argento & Associates represents people injured in car, truck, motorcycle, workplace, and industrial accidents, as well as wrongful death cases, according to the firm. Charles J. Argento earned his law degree from South Texas College of Law Houston in 1988, was admitted to the State Bar of Texas that year, and spent the first decade of his career representing insurance companies and defendants.
The information in this release is based on NHTSA’s November 2026 early estimates report, the Texas Department of Transportation’s announcement, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles’ TexasSure page, and the cited Texas statutes. It is presented for general public awareness and is not legal advice. How the law applies to a particular crash depends on the facts and the applicable insurance policies.
Charles J. Argento & Associates represents injured people in car accident matters throughout Texas.
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For more information about Charles J. Argento & Associates, contact the company here:
Charles J. Argento & Associates
Charles J. Argento
+17132255050
cargento@ArgentoWins.com
1111 North Loop West #715 Houston, TX 77008
