The Objects and Animals U.S. Drivers Collide With Most

Although a high number of road collisions involve two or more motor vehicles, bad crashes often involve a single car leaving the road. In fact, around 20% of motor vehicle crash deaths are caused by a vehicle hitting a fixed roadside object. The most commonly struck objects include trees, utility poles, and traffic barriers.

Almost half of the fatalities due to fixed object crashes occur at night, with alcohol a frequent contributing factor. Some of the reasons motorists leave the road and collide with objects include excessive speed, falling asleep, distraction, or impaired visibility.

Additionally, between 1975 and the mid-2000s, the number of motor vehicle deaths due to collisions with animals steadily rose; over the last decade, the trend has stabilized. According to study data, these deaths occurred most often during some of the warmer months of the year, between July and September.

In this study, we’ll look closely at the most common fixed objects drivers collide with across America. We’ll consider the states that feature the highest fatality rates and number of collisions of this type, plus the states featuring the highest fatality numbers per specific object categories.

We’ll also look at where in the U.S. you’re most likely to fatally collide with an animal. And we’ll look at which Texas counties are most affected by object collision fatalities.

First, let’s take a look at which types of fixed objects are involved in the highest number of fatal collisions across the United States.

The Fixed Objects U.S. Drivers Collide With Most

Of all the fixed objects U.S. drivers hit once leaving the road, trees are by far the most common. According to IIHS data, 8,156 people were killed during collisions with fixed objects in 2023 alone, with trees involved in 45% of those crash fatalities. That represents more than four times the percentage of fatal crashes involving utility poles (11%) or traffic barriers (10%).

There are numerous reasons for this significant disparity. Many tree-related crashes take place on rural roads, which may involve a combination of aggravating factors such as higher-than-average vehicle speed, narrow or non-existent shoulders, inadequate lighting, tricky curves, a poor road surface, and limited recovery spaces.

Often, vehicles that leave the road hit a tree head-on or at a high angle, which subsequently means occupants are subjected to extreme and often catastrophic impact forces (this is true even for newer vehicles that feature advanced crash protection systems).

Transport safety experts regularly emphasize the necessity for ‘forgiving roadsides’, roads that reduce danger from crashes involving cars leaving the road by removing hazardous fixed objects from travel lanes (or covering them with barriers if moving them isn’t feasible). Other moves proposed to lessen danger levels and reduce fatal collisions include creating wider clear zones, better-placed guardrails, better curve design, rumble strips, and improved speed and traffic management.

The Ten Most-Hit Fixed Roadside Objects

Trees account for the largest share of fixed‑object fatalities, but they’re not the only roadside hazards drivers encounter. Vehicles that leave the roadway often collide with a range of other fixed objects, including curbs, ditches, and embankments.

From 2020 through 2024, the ten objects shown below were most frequently reported as the first harmful event in fatal crashes.

State-by-State Fixed Object Fatality Trends

We’ve looked at national totals for fatalities involving fixed-object crashes, but state-level data reveals clear regional differences depending on the type of roadside hazard involved.

The chart below highlights the states that recorded the highest number of fatal crashes involving standing trees, curbs, and roadside ditches between 2020 and 2024. Texas recorded the highest number of fatal tree collisions by a considerable margin, while California led the nation for fatal curb crashes.

Fatal ditch collisions were most heavily concentrated across southeastern states, with North Carolina and South Carolina ranking first and second nationally.

Let’s now narrow the focus to Texas, the state that recorded the highest number of fatal tree collisions during the study period. The following section breaks down the fixed objects most commonly involved in fatal Texas crashes, along with the cities and counties reporting the highest number of these deadly collisions. 

Texas Fixed Object Fatality Trends

The data below shows the fixed objects most commonly involved in fatal roadside crashes across Texas between 2020 and 2024. Standing trees accounted for the highest number of fatalities statewide, followed by curbs, fences, concrete traffic barriers, and utility poles/light supports.

Crash patterns also vary considerably across Texas depending on road design, traffic density, and whether collisions occur in urban or rural areas. The following section looks more closely at the Texas cities and counties recording the highest number of fixed-object and animal-related crashes.

Most Dangerous Cities and Counties in Texas For Fixed Object and Animal Crashes 

When we look at Texan cities, Houston is the ‘Fixed Object Crash Capital’. According to TxDOT, the city recorded over 66,000 fixed object crashes in 2024, a disproportionate number of which involved cars hitting utility poles and concrete pillars.

Dallas is statistically the Texas city that’s most dangerous for overall driving in Texas, with fixed-object crashes representing a significant proportion of its 12% increase in fatal accidents. And in 2025, Temple’s General Bruce Drive and H K Dodgen Loop intersection became the state’s top crash site, with 77 accidents, many of which involved vehicles leaving the road and hitting barriers.

If we turn our attention to counties, Harris County is the deadliest in Texas for fixed-object crashes, with over 330 annual fatalities, a high concentration of which involve utility pole and concrete barrier collisions.

Bexar County also ranks high for curb crash deaths, the second most common type of fatal fixed object crashes in Texas, while Dallas and Tarrant also feature prominently across all fixed object crash types.

Assessed by measuring fixed object crash categories, the following Texas counties featured the highest fatality numbers.

County-level crash data also reveals how different roadside hazards are concentrated across different parts of Texas. Harris County recorded the highest fatality totals for collisions involving trees, curbs, and fences, reinforcing its position as the state’s deadliest county for fixed-object crashes overall.

Dallas and Tarrant counties also ranked prominently across multiple collision categories, while Bexar County recorded especially high totals involving curbs and fences.

The data further highlights the contrast between urban and rural roadway risks across Texas. More densely populated counties tended to report higher numbers of fatal curb and roadside infrastructure collisions, while both urban and less-populated counties appeared throughout the rankings for tree and fence fatalities.

These patterns suggest that roadway design, traffic density, vehicle speed, and roadside environments all play a significant role in the types of fatal fixed-object crashes occurring across the state.

Although not as frequent or problematic as crashes involving fixed objects, collisions with animals are a significant roadside danger factor.

Animal Collisions and Fatalities

There were 948 fatalities in the U.S. between 2020 and 2024 due to crashes involving an animal. Yet vehicle collisions involving animals surge dramatically during the fall, with over 41% of all animal-related insurance claims occurring between October and December.

November consistently ranks as the danger month, driven by a combination of the deer mating season and the end of daylight saving time, which means dark roads and low motorist visibility just as deer are most active.

State Farm estimates the 2024 odds of a U.S. driver hitting an animal were 1 in 128, with more than 1.8 million animal collision crash claims made between 2023 and 2024.

Pennsylvania and Michigan recorded some of the highest countrywide claim totals, with West Virginia ranked the riskiest state overall, its drivers subject to a 1 in 40 chance of colliding with an animal.

Beyond driver safety, motor vehicle/animal collisions also cost the U.S. economy more than $10 billion every year due to medical expenses, vehicle damage, emergency response callouts, and insurance payouts.

The average animal collision claim is now just over $5,000, driven in part by rising repair charges (partially due to in-car tech), with some part costs rising 6% in 2025. Texas and other states featuring large rural road networks and significant wildlife populations, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio, are most susceptible to rising insurance claim costs.

Texas leads the country when it comes to fatal collisions with animals (91 fatal collisions between 2020 and 2024, well ahead of Pennsylvania (69) and Wisconsin (60)), with deer not the only road threat.

The state has also recorded a growing number of collisions involving feral hogs, which transportation experts describe as extremely dangerous due to the animal’s low, heavy build. Unlike deer collisions that usually damage windshields and hoods, feral hog impacts can be catastrophic to a vehicle’s undercarriage and suspension systems.

Feral hogs are not just a rural highway problem; increasing numbers are involved in collisions in suburban areas near Austin and San Antonio. Texas drivers now file more than 86,000 animal-related insurance claims a year, with that number expected to rise.

One of the major factors consistently linked to both animal-related and fixed-object crashes is impaired driving. National crash data shows that alcohol, drugs, and medication were involved in a substantial share of these deadly collisions between 2020 and 2024.

The Role of Alcohol in Fatal Fixed Object Crashes

Between 2020 and 2024 in the U.S., 12,043 fatal collisions with fixed objects (63 involved a live animal) involved drivers under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medication.

Here are the top 10 states measured by fatality rate (per 100,000 of the population); Texas ranked outside the top 10 in 16th spot. If we look at total fatalities involving alcohol, drugs, and medication, Texas numbers mean it ranks second nationally behind California (1,771) and ahead of Florida (729).

In terms of Texas counties, here are the 10 that featured the highest fixed object fatalities for crashes involving drivers under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medication (measured by fatality rate, per 50,000).

If we look purely at the highest total number of fixed object fatal crashes involving a driver under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medication, Harris (268) once again posted the highest number by a significant margin, with Dallas (143) and Bexar (56) far behind in second and third spot.

Gender and Age Group Differentials

Of the 9,330 U.S. drivers involved in fatal fixed object crashes who were under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or medication, a vastly disproportionate number (7,802) were male (1,523 were female; 5 were unknown). The 25-34 year-old age group suffered the most driver fatalities (2,675: 2,169 were male, 504 female).

Yet according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), teen drivers are disproportionately involved in fatal fixed-object crashes, making them a particularly high-risk group, despite accounting for a relatively small share of total licensed drivers.

IIHS data tells us that 16-20 year-old drivers experience the highest rate of fatal fixed-object collisions per mile driven, a trend attributed to a combination of inexperience, insufficient hazard recognition, and a high level of risky driving behaviors.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data also confirms that speeding and over-correction are key factors in roughly 35% of fatal fixed object crashes involving teen drivers.

Younger drivers are more likely to misjudge curves, panic when leaving the road, and lose control of their vehicle at higher speeds. In many cases, a minor driving error quickly becomes something much more serious due to inexperienced drivers instinctively jerking the steering wheel or braking aggressively, causing a skid or collision.

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) programs promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) often limit nighttime driving for newly licensed teens, keeping them off the road when deer and other wildlife are most active near roads.

Motor vehicle collisions with animals close to or even on roads are a particularly significant issue towards the end of the year, during dusk, nighttime, and early morning hours.

Fixed Object and Animal Collisions: Why ‘Forgiving Roadsides’ Are Key

In the U.S., motor vehicle crashes with fixed roadside objects remain one of the deadliest types of road accidents, and account for around 20% of all traffic fatalities.

The crashes can involve trees (the most common type of crash, involved in 45% of fatal incidents), curbs, utility poles, ditches, guardrails, or traffic barriers. Data tells us that key contributory factors include speeding, impaired driving, fatigue, distracted driving, poor visibility, and tricky rural road conditions.

Many of these types of crashes occur at night, with reduced visibility and alcohol use significantly increasing the risk of losing control of a vehicle.

Moves proposed to lessen danger levels and reduce fatal collisions include creating wider clear zones, better–placed guardrails, better curve design, rumble strips, and improved speed and traffic management

Texas ranks among the states that feature the highest number of crashes involving fixed objects, and leads the nation in fatalities that involve a vehicle colliding with a tree.

Harris County recorded especially high numbers of fatal crashes involving trees, curbs, fences, and concrete barriers. Urban areas like Houston and Dallas are subject to high numbers of collisions with fixed objects due to dense traffic, roadside infrastructure, and high-speed roads. 

Alcohol and drug impairment play a major role in collisions involving fixed objects, with more than 12,000 fatal crashes involving impaired drivers over the study period.

Men represented the overwhelming majority of fatalities, with drivers aged 25-34 recording the highest death totals. Teen drivers were identified as high-risk due to inexperience, speeding, and over-correction once their vehicle had left the road.

Animal collisions are a significant collision factor, and often precede impacts with fixed objects when drivers swerve to avoid wildlife. Between 2020 and 2024, the U.S. recorded 948 fatalities where the initial harmful event was an animal collision.

Animal collision crashes surge during fall months (especially November) when deer mating season and early nightfall combine. 1.8 million animal-collision claims were filed nationwide between 2023 and 2024. 

Texas leads the nation when it comes to fatal collisions with animals, and faces a unique driver threat from feral hogs, whose bodies can severely damage vehicle undercarriage and suspension systems. Collisions with animals now cost the U.S. economy over $10 billion every year, with both the financial and human toll of these crashes likely to continue rising.

Transportation experts continue to advocate for ‘forgiving roadsides’ to reduce accidents and fatalities: wider shoulders, better barriers, improved road design, and more effective speed management all have the potential to make a huge difference.

Drivers would certainly benefit from additional and improved safety measures: as things stand, thousands of preventable lives are lost every year in Texas and the wider United States.

If you sustained injuries in a crash in Texas, you may feel overwhelmed and unsure of what you need to do next. To receive maximum compensation for your damages, it’s important to partner with an experienced Texas car accident lawyer.

A car accident lawyer in Texas can help you build a strong case, negotiate with insurance companies, and fight for your rights. Contact The Texas Law Dog today for a free consultation. And remember: we don’t just bark, we bite.