What Are the Biggest Driving “Problems” in Tulsa, According to OHSO?
Car wrecks occur too often throughout the State of Oklahoma. As one of the state’s largest cities, Tulsa has more than its fair share of crashes. Most of these accidents are due to driver error/negligence, which means they’re mostly preventable.
The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office (OHSO) compiles data about every crash leading to injuries or death in Oklahoma. This data is searchable by City and County. The most recent data is from 2021. We specifically looked at data for the City of Tulsa and Tulsa County, and found that the leading causes of accidents involved:
- Speeding: Speeding is one of the biggest problems on Tulsa roads. The data from OHSO shows that there were 72 reported crashes that resulted in serious injuries or deaths due to speeding in the city. When it comes to the entire county, there were 87 injuries and fatalities from speeding.
- Driving while drunk or intoxicated: Driving while drunk or intoxicated is another big issue in Tulsa. The data shows there were 38 alcohol-related crashes (24 fatal) and 34 drug-related crashes (all 34 fatal) in the City in 2021. In Tulsa County, there were 49 alcohol-related crashes (33 fatal) and 43 drug-related crashes (41 fatal).
- Sharing the roads with motorcyclists: It can be difficult to share the roads with motorcyclists. The reason for this is because motorcycle riders are very hard to see, especially when they enter a car’s blind spots. Overall, the City of Tulsa experienced 45 motorcycle accidents that resulted in incapacitating injuries and deaths. The county experienced 59.
- Distracted driving: Another issue that occurs too frequently in Tulsa is distracted driving. Qualifying activity includes texting, sending an email, changing the radio station, talking to a passenger, allowing your pet to ride on your lap, and more. There were 24 reported accidents involving distracted driving in the city and 32 in the county.
- Failure to wear seat belts: Even though there are laws in place requiring drivers and passengers to wear seat belts when their vehicles are in motion, there are still some people who choose not to follow these rules. At least 31 people in Tulsa County died because of lack of seat belt use; 22 of them were in the City of Tulsa. (Per OSHO, “Unrestrained fatalities are measured for occupants of passenger vehicles only,” so the numbers may actually have been higher.)
How many car accidents occur each year in Tulsa?
OSHO’s Fatal and Injury Crash Dashboard tells us that in 2021, there were 2,093 car accidents leading to injuries or fatalities in Tulsa County in 2021; 1,495 occurred in the City of Tulsa. By comparison, 9,360 injury and fatal crashes were reported to OSHO in all of Oklahoma that same year.
What are the most common sites of car crashes?
The OSHO dashboard shows that only 12 injury or fatal crashes happened on rural roads in 2021; the rest all occurred in “urban” environments, which in this case includes the city and all of its suburbs. When you look at their interactive map, most of those “urban” crashes happened:
- In neighborhoods: Many people are surprised by this, but many accidents occur in neighborhoods close to individuals’ homes. This is because drivers may become too comfortable as they get closer to their home. Unfortunately, this level of comfort can lead to an increased chance of experiencing a crash.
- At intersections: Intersections are very busy areas with traffic lights or signs. Due to the confusion that intersections can cause, collisions are very common. For example, a vehicle may forget to use their turn signal or yield the right of way to another vehicle, resulting in an accident.
- While in, entering, or exiting parking lots: It can be difficult to focus and pay attention to different cars moving and stopping in parking lots, especially for retail centers. In addition, some parking spaces can be narrow, which can lead to sideswipe accidents.
What roads see the most accidents in Tulsa, OK?
There are several dangerous roads across Tulsa where serious car accidents are known to happen, such as:
- Highway 169
- Interstate 244
- Broken Arrow Expressway
- Highway 164
- East 21st Street
- Memorial Drive
- Interstate 44
- East Skelly Drive
- Creek Turnpike
- 61st Street
- Highway 75
- South Sheridan Road
If you’ve been involved in an accident on any of these roads, our Tulsa car accident attorneys can help.
Contact Biby Law Firm in Tulsa today
The car accident attorneys at Biby Law Firm have spent years helping clients with their questions and concerns regarding their car crashes. Therefore, when you work with our team, you can rest assured knowing that we are aware of the laws surrounding various types of car accidents, how to navigate the legal process, and how to get the best results possible. Please call our office or submit our contact form to set up a free initial meeting to begin discussing your claim today.
Jacob Biby has spent his legal career helping folks just like you get the resources they need after a personal injury, car accident, or oil field injury. He completed his undergraduate degree at Oklahoma State University and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Tulsa in 2008. Jacob is licensed to practice in all Oklahoma state and federal courts. Learn more about Jacob Biby.