Report: Nearly 200 people killed in Travis County crashes in 2023

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The Travis County Medical Examiner's Office reported nearly 200 people died in the county from motor vehicle-related deaths in 2023, according to the latest 2023 medical examiner report.

The vast majority of those deaths involved automobile fatalities, with 97 people killed in 2023. Following automobile deaths were pedestrian traffic-related fatalities, with 57 killed last year.

There were 28 motorcyclists killed, eight cyclists killed, four killed in unknown circumstances, one killed on an electric scooter, one on a minibike, one on a boat and one killed in a wheelchair last year.

When broken down by age, the vast majority of people involved in motor vehicle-related deaths were between 21 and 30 years old, with 44 deaths reported in that age range. Among those 31-40 years old, 37 were killed, and 33 people in the 61-70 year-old age range also died in motor vehicle-related incidents.

When looking at automobile deaths, 50% of those deaths reported -- or 48 fatalities -- involved people not wearing seatbelts. There were 38 people reportedly killed while wearing seatbelts, and 11 killed with an unknown seatbelt use status.

The majority of people killed in automobile deaths countywide were drivers, with 63 killed. Among passengers, 34 died from automobile-related deaths in 2023.

Among the 28 motorcyclists killed, the majority killed were in the 21-30 and 31-40 year-old age ranges, with seven people killed in each age range. Twenty people killed were wearing helmets at the time of their deaths, while eight motorcyclists killed didn't have helmets on.

Among all 198 motor vehicle-related Travis County fatalities recorded in 2023, 27% -- or 53 -- of them involved alcohol. Here's a breakdown of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of those alcohol-related fatalities.

• 0.00%-0.07% BAC detected: 9 fatalities
• 0.08%-0.16% BAC detected: 18 fatalities
• 0.17%-0.24% BAC detected: 21 fatalities
• Greater than 24% BAC detected: 5 fatalities

When looking at Travis County motor vehicle fatalities, the report outlined the "role of decedent" where alcohol was detected in the person killed:

• Drivers: 23 fatalities, 43% of total
• Passengers: seven fatalities, 13% of total
• Pedestrians: 15 fatalities, 28% of total
• Motorcyclists: five fatalities, 10% of total
• Wheelchair users: one fatality, 2% of total
• Unknown status: two fatalities, 4% of total

How 2023 Travis County traffic fatalities compare to past years

In 2022, there were 193 motor vehicle-related fatalities in Travis County. Those broke down into the following categories:

• Automobile users: 103 fatalities, 53% of total
• Pedestrians: 53 fatalities, 27% of total
• Motorcyclists: 27 fatalities, 14% of total
• Cyclists: four fatalities, 2% of total
• Scooter riders: three fatalities, 2% of total
• Riding lawnmower users: one fatality, 1% of total
• Skateboarders: one fatality, 1% of total
• Jet Ski users: one fatality, 1% of total

Among those 193 fatalities, 73 of them -- or 38% -- involved alcohol.

Comparatively, the TCME's 2021 annual report found 177 people died in motor vehicle-related deaths. Those included:

• Automobile users: 95 fatalities, 54% of total
• Pedestrians: 50 fatalities, 28% of total
• Motorcyclists: 20 fatalities, 11% of total
• Cyclists: four fatalities, 2% of total
• Scooter users: four fatalities, 2% of total
• Moped users: two fatalities, 1% of total
• Tractor users: one fatality, 1% of total
• Pilots: one fatality, 1% of total

Among those 2021 motor vehicle-related fatalities, 58 of them -- or 32% -- involved alcohol.

The 2020 report revealed there were 166 motor vehicle-related fatalities in Travis County. The metrics of that breakdown varied slightly, but included:

• Drivers: 81 fatalities, 49% of total
• Passengers: 27 fatalities, 16% of total
• Pedestrians: 46 fatalities, 28% of total
• Motorcyclists: seven fatalities, 4% of total
• Cyclists: four fatalities, 2% of total
• Scooter users: one fatality, 1% of total

Among those 166 traffic-related fatalities were 49 deaths involving alcohol, just shy of 30% of all motor vehicle-related fatalities recorded in Travis County.

From 2019, there were 140 motor vehicle-related fatalities in Travis County, divvied up into the following categories:

• Drivers: 55 fatalities, 39% of total
• Passengers: 20 fatalities, 14% of total
• Pedestrians: 39 fatalities, 28% of total
• Motorcyclists: 18 fatalities, 13% of total
• Cyclists: six fatalities, 4% of total
• Boat users: one fatality, 1% of total
• Scooter users: one fatality, 1% of total

Within those 140 traffic-related fatalities were 55 deaths involving alcohol.

Looking at 2018 report data, there were 154 traffic-related fatalities reported within the county:

• Drivers: 71 fatalities, 46% of total
• Motorcyclists: 14 fatalities, 9% of total
• Front passengers: 23 fatalities, 15% of total
• Pedestrians: 41 fatalities, 27% of total
• Rear passengers: one fatality, 1% of total
• Unknown users: three fatalities, 2% of total
• Cyclists: one fatality, 1% of total

Alcohol use was present in 36 of those fatalities in 2018, per the ME report.