The great Lone Star State has more than 80,000 miles of highway. This includes about 30,000 miles of U.S and state highways and 40,939 miles of farm-to-market roads and ranch-to-market roads. Texas measures a 268,597 square miles and houses a population of 28 million with 22 million registered vehicles. All of these drivers and highway means that the odds of having some kind of collision or accident on the road can sometimes stack up against you. Having a trustworthy insurance policy is key in protecting yourself and your family on the roads. As your local Progressive Insurance agent, we thought we’d take a look at some interesting facts about Texas roads.

A life can change in a second when you are traveling sixty miles per hour. One distraction, one miscalculation, or unlucky timing next to a reckless driver can completely turn your world around. Purchasing auto insurance is not only Texas law but it can protect you after an unexpected collision that leaves you stranded without a car, a damaged vehicle, or with serious injuries. Car insurance is an agreement between you and the company. Every contract is different but for a monthly payment, the company assures you that you will be protected in the event of an accident. This means that it will help you fix the other person’s vehicle (if you were at fault) your car, replace your car, get a rental if necessary, and receive medical attention and services for any injuries sustained.

Texas on the Roads

In 2017, people in Texas traveled about 274 billion miles on Texas highways. Many of today’s Texas cities include hundreds of people commuting to the cities from rural areas and suburbs for work, school, and other activities. In that same year, there was 14,299 serious injury crashes in the state with 17,546 people sustaining a serious injury.

A trip to the hospital emergency room can be quite costly. An average bill can range up to the thousands of dollars, especially if you don’t have medical insurance. If you visit an emergency room outside of your insurance network, this is a likely scenario. A recent story about a $12,000 emergency room bill for a bee sting, made it all the way to the headline news. This often puts families under a lot of financial and emotional stress.

Texas Crashes

Luckily, in 2017 there was a drop the number of fatalities on the road, but there was still plenty of crashes and collisions. Single vehicle run-off the road crashes resulted in 1,313 deaths in 2017. The same year, 761 people were killed in intersections or related to intersections and 552 in head-on collisions. That year there was 449 people killed in crashes involving distracted driving and more than a thousand deaths were attributed to crashes where a driver was under the influence.

Protect Yourself the Right Way

Nothing is ever certain, particularly in the stretches of Texas roadways where millions of people converge to go where they are going. Getting the best policy is not only the best choice but it ensures that your family is protected in the best way possible as they travel through the millions of miles the great state of Texas has to offer. Give Advantage Insurance a call and get started with the right policy for you!