The Rio Grande Valley recorded 25,925 reported crashes and 113 traffic deaths in 2024, the most recent year TxDOT has published at county level. That is 70.8 crashes every day across Hidalgo, Cameron, Willacy and Starr counties, and one road death roughly every three days. Across the five years 2020 through 2024 the four counties recorded 123,873 crashes and 557 deaths. These RGV crash statistics come directly from TxDOT’s published county reports and are free to cite.
Key findings
- The Valley crashes more often than Texas but dies less often. In 2024 the RGV recorded 17.98 crashes per 1,000 residents against the Texas rate of 17.48, yet its fatality rate was 7.84 deaths per 100,000 residents compared with 13.09 statewide, roughly 40% lower.
- Cameron County is the one moving the wrong way. Fatal crashes there rose from 32 in 2023 to 40 in 2024, a 25% increase, in a year when statewide fatal crashes fell 2.7%.
- Starr County has the Valley’s fastest-growing crash count, up 16.6% from 757 crashes in 2021 to 883 in 2024, while the statewide total was flat at +0.3%.
- Hidalgo County recorded the sharpest improvement, with traffic deaths falling from 84 in 2023 to 62 in 2024, a 26% drop.
- Drunk driving causes about one in four Valley road deaths. Alcohol-involved crashes killed 26 of the 113 people who died on Valley roads in 2024, a 23.0% share.
Where does this crash data come from?
Every number on this page comes from the Texas Department of Transportation’s published county crash reports, which are compiled from Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Reports (form CR-3) submitted by law enforcement statewide through the Crash Records Information System (CRIS). Nothing here is modelled, estimated or interpolated.
TxDOT defines a fatal crash as one in which at least one person died within 30 days as a result of the crash, and a suspected serious injury as one that prevents the injured person from continuing normal activities. Definitions follow the TxDOT Annual Motor Vehicle Crash Data Report Definitions.
How many crashes happen in each Rio Grande Valley county?
Hidalgo County recorded 16,601 crashes in 2024, Cameron 8,233, Starr 883 and Willacy 208. Across five years Hidalgo alone accounts for 80,768 crashes, about two thirds of the Valley total. The table below gives the full five-year picture with per-resident rates.
| County | Crashes 2020–2024 | Fatal crashes | Traffic deaths | Population (2025) | 2024 crashes per 1,000 residents | 2024 deaths per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo | 80,768 | 308 | 340 | 921,549 | 18.01 | 6.73 |
| Cameron | 37,981 | 159 | 181 | 433,946 | 18.97 | 9.45 |
| Starr | 4,012 | 26 | 26 | 66,319 | 13.31 | 10.56 |
| Willacy | 1,112 | 10 | 10 | 19,971 | 10.42 | 15.02 |
| RGV total | 123,873 | 503 | 557 | 1,441,785 | 17.98 | 7.84 |
| Texas | 2,697,052 | 19,170 | 21,197 | 31,709,821 | 17.48 | 13.09 |
Willacy County shows the classic rural pattern: the fewest crashes per resident in the Valley but the highest death rate per resident, at more than double Hidalgo’s. Rural roads carry higher speeds, longer ambulance response times and fewer divided highways, so a crash there is far more likely to kill someone. Hidalgo is the reverse, with heavy urban traffic producing enormous crash volume at lower speeds.
Serious injuries by county, 2024
580 people suffered a suspected serious injury on Valley roads in 2024, more than five times the number who died. These are the broken bones, internal injuries and head injuries that produce long-term medical bills.
| County | Serious injury crashes | People seriously injured | Share of crashes causing serious injury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo | 294 | 370 | 1.8% |
| Cameron | 154 | 180 | 1.9% |
| Starr | 16 | 21 | 1.8% |
| Willacy | 5 | 9 | 2.4% |
| RGV total | 469 | 580 | 1.8% |
| Texas | 14,905 | 18,218 | 2.7% |
Which Rio Grande Valley cities have the most crashes?
Brownsville recorded the most crashes of any Valley city in 2024 with 3,870, followed by McAllen with 2,853, Edinburg with 2,407 and Harlingen with 2,153. Brownsville also recorded the most city traffic deaths, at 11.
| City | Total crashes 2024 | Fatal crashes | Deaths | Share of crashes that were fatal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville | 3,870 | 11 | 11 | 0.28% |
| McAllen | 2,853 | 6 | 6 | 0.21% |
| Edinburg | 2,407 | 3 | 3 | 0.12% |
| Harlingen | 2,153 | 7 | 7 | 0.33% |
| Mission | 1,437 | 3 | 3 | 0.21% |
Harlingen stands out. It produced seven deaths on 2,153 crashes, a fatal rate of 0.33% against McAllen’s 0.21% on a similar crash volume. A crash in Harlingen was roughly 1.6 times more likely to kill someone than a crash in McAllen that year.
Crash types across the Valley, 2024
Commercial vehicles were involved in 1,146 Valley crashes in 2024, alcohol in 1,183, and driver distraction in 2,290. The alcohol share runs above the Texas average, while the distraction share runs far below it.
| Crash type | Hidalgo | Cameron | Starr | Willacy | RGV total | RGV share | Texas share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial motor vehicle | 748 | 344 | 39 | 15 | 1,146 | 4.4% | 7.1% |
| DUI, alcohol involved | 752 | 383 | 28 | 20 | 1,183 | 4.6% | 4.1% |
| Distracted driver | 1,572 | 517 | 181 | 20 | 2,290 | 8.8% | 16.5% |
The low distraction figure deserves scepticism rather than celebration. Distraction is recorded by the investigating officer as a contributing factor, and drivers rarely volunteer that they were looking at a phone. Treat the Valley’s 8.8% as a reporting artefact until phone records say otherwise. Alcohol is the opposite case: at 4.6% of all Valley crashes it runs above the state’s 4.1%, and those crashes killed 26 people in 2024.
Are car accidents increasing in the Rio Grande Valley?
Valley crashes rose 4.0% between 2021 and 2024, faster than the statewide increase of 0.3%, but Valley deaths fell 13.7% from their 2023 peak. Crash volume is climbing while lethality is falling.
| Year | Hidalgo | Cameron | Starr | Willacy | RGV crashes | RGV deaths | Texas deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 12,812 | 6,172 | 662 | 198 | 19,844 | 79 | 3,898 |
| 2021 | 16,266 | 7,651 | 757 | 243 | 24,917 | 112 | 4,456 |
| 2022 | 17,327 | 7,904 | 844 | 240 | 26,315 | 122 | 4,410 |
| 2023 | 17,762 | 8,021 | 866 | 223 | 26,872 | 131 | 4,283 |
| 2024 | 16,601 | 8,233 | 883 | 208 | 25,925 | 113 | 4,150 |
2020 is not a fair baseline. Pandemic restrictions cut traffic volume statewide, and Texas crashes fell to 475,273 that year before rebounding to 552,677 in 2021. Measured from 2021 forward, Cameron is up 7.6% and Starr up 16.6%, while Hidalgo is nearly flat at 2.1% and Willacy has fallen 14.4%.
How does the RGV compare to the Texas average?
The Rio Grande Valley records slightly more crashes per resident than Texas as a whole, 17.98 versus 17.48 per 1,000 in 2024, but far fewer deaths per resident, 7.84 versus 13.09 per 100,000. Valley crashes happen more often and kill less often.
The gap makes sense geographically. Hidalgo and Cameron between them hold 94% of the Valley’s population in dense, low-speed urban and suburban driving conditions. Statewide averages absorb long rural stretches of West and Central Texas where high-speed single-vehicle crashes push the fatality rate up. The Valley’s exception is Willacy, whose 15.02 deaths per 100,000 is above the state average and reflects exactly that rural pattern in miniature.
One caveat on all per-resident rates: the better exposure measure is vehicle miles travelled, which is not published at county level with the same timeliness. Counties carrying heavy through-traffic on I-2, I-69E and US-83 look worse on a per-resident measure than they would on a per-mile measure.
What this data does not show
This report covers county and city totals only. It does not rank individual intersections or highway corridors, because TxDOT’s published county reports do not break crashes down to that level. Intersection and corridor rankings require a crash-level extract from CRIS, which is planned for the next edition of this report. Four further limits are worth stating plainly:
- Reported crashes only. Minor collisions settled between drivers without police involvement never enter the dataset.
- Counts change after publication. Late-arriving reports and injury reclassifications move the figures slightly in later TxDOT editions.
- Contributing factors are officer judgement at the scene. Speed, distraction and fatigue are systematically under-recorded compared with what crash reconstruction and phone records later show.
- Geography is crash location, not residence. A Weslaco resident killed on a Nueces County road counts in Nueces.
What the data means if you were hurt in a Valley crash
Behind the 25,925 crashes in the 2024 table are roughly 580 people with serious injuries and thousands more with claims to file. The numbers matter to an injury claim in three concrete ways.
First, deadlines. In most Texas injury cases you have two years from the date of the crash to file suit under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003. When the injured person is a minor, that clock generally does not start until they turn 18.
Second, fault percentages. Texas uses proportionate responsibility under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001. You can recover as long as your share of the blame is 50% or less, and your compensation is reduced by that share. Moving a claimant from 40% to 51% wipes out the claim entirely, which is why insurers argue fault so hard.
Third, evidence decay. Intersection camera footage is often overwritten within days, and commercial carriers are only required to retain certain records for limited periods under FMCSA rules. Preservation letters sent in the first week are frequently what decides a case two years later.
The Lopez Law Group, led by attorney Fernando J. Lopez, represents injury victims across the Rio Grande Valley and the rest of Texas on a no-win-no-fee basis, in English and Spanish, 24 hours a day. Call (956) 968-7800 for a free case review, or read our Texas car accident and injury claims guide first.
How the firm handles Rio Grande Valley crash cases
The Lopez Law Group handles Valley crash claims on contingency, meaning no fee unless the case wins or settles, with clients working directly with attorney Fernando J. Lopez rather than a case manager. Attorney Lopez has practised in Texas since 2007, and the firm has recovered more than $25 million for clients across 15+ years and thousands of injury cases. Most claims settle in 6 to 12 months, and over 90% settle without trial.
A typical Valley crash case runs in five steps:
- Free case review. A conversation about the crash, the injuries and the insurance available, in English or Spanish, at no cost and with no obligation.
- Evidence preservation. Crash report obtained, preservation letters sent for camera footage and, in commercial vehicle cases, for driver logs and maintenance records.
- Medical documentation. Treatment tracked and records gathered so the injury picture is complete before any number is discussed.
- Demand and negotiation. A documented demand goes to the insurer, with fault arguments answered using the crash report, physical evidence and witness accounts.
- Litigation if needed. Suit filed within the two-year deadline when the insurer will not pay fairly, with jury trial experience in state and federal court behind it.
The firm’s Weslaco headquarters is at 2611 N Texas Blvd, Suite 1, Weslaco, TX 78599, serving Hidalgo, Cameron, Willacy and Starr counties, with additional offices in Houston and Austin. City-specific pages: McAllen personal injury attorney, Weslaco personal injury lawyer, Harlingen personal injury lawyer, and the Rio Grande Valley personal injury overview. If a commercial truck was involved, see our Texas truck accident lawyer page.
Frequently asked questions about RGV crash statistics
How many crashes happened in Hidalgo County last year?
Hidalgo County recorded 16,601 reported crashes in 2024, the most recent year TxDOT has published at county level. Those crashes included 57 fatal crashes that killed 62 people, and 294 crashes causing suspected serious injuries to 370 people. Over the five years 2020 through 2024, Hidalgo County recorded 80,768 crashes and 340 traffic deaths.
What is the most dangerous intersection in McAllen?
TxDOT does not publish crash counts by intersection, so no reliable public ranking exists for McAllen. Producing one requires a crash-level extract from the Crash Records Information System grouped by street and intersecting street, which is planned for the next edition of this report. At city level, McAllen recorded 2,853 crashes and 6 traffic deaths in 2024, the Valley’s second-highest crash volume.
Which Rio Grande Valley highway has the most fatal crashes?
TxDOT’s published county reports do not break crashes down by highway, so corridor rankings for US-83, US-281, I-2 and Expressway 77 cannot be stated from public data alone. At county level, Cameron County recorded 40 fatal crashes in 2024 against Hidalgo’s 57, on roughly half the population, giving Cameron the Valley’s highest crash rate per resident at 18.97 per 1,000.
Are RGV crashes increasing or decreasing?
Crashes are increasing slowly and deaths are decreasing. Valley crashes rose 4.0% between 2021 and 2024, against a statewide rise of 0.3%, driven by Cameron at 7.6% and Starr at 16.6%. Valley traffic deaths peaked at 131 in 2023 and fell to 113 in 2024, a 13.7% drop, steeper than the statewide 3.1% decline.
How does the RGV compare to the Texas average?
The Valley crashes slightly more often per resident than Texas as a whole, 17.98 versus 17.48 crashes per 1,000 residents in 2024, but its fatality rate is far lower, 7.84 versus 13.09 deaths per 100,000 residents. Dense, lower-speed urban driving in Hidalgo and Cameron produces high crash volume with lower lethality than rural Texas averages.
What are the crash statistics for Weslaco, Texas?
Weslaco sits in Hidalgo County, which recorded 16,601 crashes, 57 fatal crashes and 62 traffic deaths in 2024. City-level figures for Weslaco appear in TxDOT’s Cities and Towns report and will be added to the city table in the next edition. For scale, nearby Valley cities recorded 2,853 crashes in McAllen, 2,407 in Edinburg and 1,437 in Mission in the same year.
Where does this crash data come from?
All figures come from the Texas Department of Transportation’s published county crash reports, compiled through the Crash Records Information System from Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Reports, form CR-3, filed by law enforcement statewide. Population denominators come from U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts estimates for 1 July 2025. Every source is listed in the references at the foot of this page.
How often is this report updated?
Annually, when TxDOT publishes new county-level crash data, usually in the spring following the reporting year. County-level 2025 data had not been published when this edition was compiled in August 2026 and will be added on release. Corrections are applied whenever TxDOT revises a figure, and the last updated date at the top of the page reflects the most recent change.
Can I use this data in my own article?
Yes. Every table on this page may be reproduced with attribution to The Lopez Law Group, and the underlying CSV is free to download and republish. Journalists and researchers can also request a specific county, city or corridor cut, or an interview with attorney Fernando J. Lopez, using the media contact details below.
How to cite this report
HOW TO CITE THIS REPORT: The Lopez Law Group, RGV Crash Report 2026: Five Years of TxDOT Crash Statistics for the Rio Grande Valley, August 2026. Analysis of TxDOT CRIS county crash data, 2020–2024. Available at https://fernandojlopez.com/reports/rgv-crash-report-2026/
Short form for in-text citation: (The Lopez Law Group, RGV Crash Report 2026). The report is produced by The Lopez Law Group, a personal injury law firm headquartered in Weslaco, Texas, and reviewed by its founder, Texas attorney Fernando J. Lopez.
Contact
Attorney Fernando J. Lopez is available for interview on Rio Grande Valley road safety, crash data and Texas injury law, in English and Spanish.
- Fernando J. Lopez, founder, The Lopez Law Group
- Phone: (956) 968-7800, available 24 hours
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 2611 N Texas Blvd, Suite 1, Weslaco, TX 78599
- Available on request: the raw CSV, a county-specific or city-specific data cut, and commentary on Texas crash liability law
References
- Texas Department of Transportation, Crashes and Injuries by County 2024. txdot.gov
- Texas Department of Transportation, Crashes and Injuries by County 2023. txdot.gov
- Texas Department of Transportation, Crashes and Injuries by County 2022. txdot.gov
- Texas Department of Transportation, Crashes and Injuries by County 2021. txdot.gov
- Texas Department of Transportation, Crashes and Injuries by County 2020. txdot.gov
- Texas Department of Transportation, Crashes and Injuries Cities and Towns 2024. txdot.gov
- Texas Department of Transportation, Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Involved Crashes and Injuries by County 2024. txdot.gov
- Texas Department of Transportation, Distracted Driver Crashes and Injuries by County 2024. txdot.gov
- Texas Department of Transportation, DUI (Alcohol) Crashes and Injuries by County 2024. txdot.gov
- Texas Department of Transportation, Crash Records Information System (CRIS) Query. cris.dot.state.tx.us
- Texas Legislature, Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapters 16 and 33. statutes.capitol.texas.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts, population estimates 1 July 2025 (V2025). census.gov/quickfacts
