Nothing says “Happy New Year” in Texas quite like a reminder that we’re apparently very committed to making it one of the deadliest nights to be on the road. According to FMX 94.5, Texas ranks among the worst states for New Year’s traffic deaths—because of course it does. Over a ten-year stretch, 280 people died in car accidents on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day here, more than any other state. Bigger state, bigger problems, bigger body count.
Most of those deaths—64%, to be precise—were drivers heading to or from holiday parties. Another 19% were pedestrians who had the audacity to exist near roads, and 16% were passengers who trusted someone else’s “I’m totally fine to drive” energy. December 2024 alone saw more than 2,000 drunk-driving crashes, making it the most crash-happy month of the year. A festive tradition, apparently.
And since Texas doesn’t believe in limiting danger to just one category, fireworks get their own warning label. The American Red Cross reminds us that burns to hands and faces are common because people treat small explosives like toys. Their advice includes wild suggestions like “don’t let kids handle fireworks,” “don’t point them at people,” and “have water nearby”—all things that sound obvious until you remember how people actually behave in this state on December 31.
So here’s to another Texas New Year: where the fireworks are loud, the roads are lethal, and the safety tips are the same ones we ignore every single year. What could possibly go wrong?