Texas Severe Weather Accidents

In Texas, every season brings with it unique atmospheric hazards. Snow. Ice. Hail. Sleet. Fog. Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Texas drivers can’t afford to ignore Mother Nature. But the top culprit behind Texas weather-related crashes might come as a bit of a surprise.

Rain, by a large margin, causes far more accidents on Texas roadways than any other weather phenomenon. Of the 60,000 or so weather-related crashes reported each year in the state, about 50,000—or 85%—are attributable to rain. It’s not just Texas, either. Nationwide, rain and wet roads cause more car accidents than any other weather condition, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Why is rain so dangerous? It can reduce visibility, make it harder to control or stop your vehicle, and even carry your car away. It takes just 12 inches of water to carry away a passenger car, and two feet of water to carry away a truck or SUV. Hydroplaning occurs when water levels build up and create a thin layer of water between the road and your tires. This puts you at risk of skidding or drifting out of your lane.

Other driving risks related to weather include:

• Fog: Fog is comprised of low-lying clouds. It reduces visibility and makes it more difficult to spot other vehicles, markers, and objects on the road. Fog caused nearly 200 crashes and killed 72 motorists on Texas roadways in 2019.
• Snow, sleet, and ice: Winter weather is rare in Houston and San Antonio. It’s less uncommon in Dallas, but as noted, a warming climate could, ironically, bring more winter storms to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. If the winter storms of 2021 and 2022 are any indication, that trend is already under way. Especially when you aren’t used to winter weather, navigating snowy and icy roads can be treacherous. The 2022 winter storm that hit North Texas caused hundreds of crashes.
• Wind: Wind affects vehicle stability and performance. It can also reduce visibility as sand and other debris is whipped up into blowing clouds, and cause lane obstruction from wind-blown objects ending up on the roadway. Severe crosswinds were blamed for more than 100 Texas crashes in 2020, including two fatalities and dozens of injuries.

Even the safest drivers can be victims of bad weather. The circumstances of a weather-related accident and available insurance coverage will dictate how the claim proceeds.

You may be able to make a claim against your own car insurance in the following situations:

• If you lose control of your vehicle due to weather and crash into another vehicle or object—or if another vehicle loses control on bad roads and crashes into you—you might be able to make a claim under your collision coverage. This is an optional coverage that not all drivers carry. In addition, collision only covers damage to your vehicle; it does not pay for your medical costs or damage to another person’s property/vehicle.
• Non-crash damage that results from weather-related incidents, such as a falling ice-covered tree branch or a blowing object that breaks your windshield, could be covered by comprehensive insurance, another type of optional car insurance. Comprehensive can also cover events like fire, floods, and hail.

Now let’s assume that another driver crashes into you during a weather event. Because Texas is an at-fault state, you would make a claim for property damage and injuries with that driver’s insurance company. But they’re claiming that the storm was an “act of God” or that the crash was beyond their control. They can’t be held liable. It wasn’t really their fault. It was the fault of the weather. Do these types of arguments hold up?

Not really. Car insurance operates on the premise that every driver is responsible for their own actions. If a driver is found to be negligent, then their insurance policy compensates the other driver(s). Negligence is based on the idea that each driver owes a “duty of care” to other drivers on the road. This means, among other things, that drivers must follow the rules of the road, focus on driving, pay attention to other motorists, and drive appropriately for the conditions.

When driving conditions change, a driver’s behavior should change, too. While you can safely drive 65 or 70 mph on I-35 during dry, clear conditions, your speed should be considerably lowered when the interstate is wet, icy, or snowy. Following distances should be increased as well because slick roads increase stopping distance.

The actual precautions a driver should take depends on the weather. In heavy fog, for example, a simple maneuver like changing lanes could be dangerous. In rain or snow, tire tread depth plays a significant role in traction. So even if you weren’t speeding or following too close—but have bald tires—poor tire tread depth could be seen as negligence. Not driving with your lights on during a storm could also be evidence of negligence. Again, every driver is responsible for their own vehicle and their own actions. There generally are no exceptions to this rule.