A new study ranked Dallas ahead of all other Texas cities when it comes to fentanyl-related traffic fatalities.
Jerry, an app that helps compare insurance policies, recently conducted a study using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It found that among all Texas cities, Dallas ranked the highest in both fentanyl-related and drug-related traffic deaths.
From 2018 through 2021, the only period for which data on fentanyl-related incidents is available, about 7% of all drug-related crashes in the city were caused by the highly potent opioid.
A drug that can be fatal in just a small dose of 2 milligrams, fentanyl has claimed a considerable number of lives, especially the young. It has been named the leading cause of death among Americans between 18 and 45 in recent years.
In Texas, roughly five people die each day as a result of fentanyl poisoning, spurring several awareness-building initiatives across the state, including in Dallas County, as covered by The Dallas Express.
Nonetheless, this deadly substance continues to be smuggled into the country via the southern border by actors connected to Mexican drug cartels.
Overall, Jerry’s study found that 18% of all fatal crashes occurring in Dallas involved drugs. This tops all other Texas cities, with Houston coming in second at a rate of 13% and San Antonio following at 12%.
Houston actually beat out Dallas when it came to alcohol-related fatal traffic incidents, with 359 clocked in Houston during the studied period compared to 225 in both Dallas and San Antonio, which tied for second place statewide.
Drug offenses have soared alongside other forms of criminality in Dallas, with 291 such violations already reported in 2024 as of January 11, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. A staggering 10,246 were logged in 2023 alone.
Although the Dallas Police Department has been working hard to reduce crime, it has struggled against a longstanding officer shortage. A prior City analysis recommended a force of 4,000 to adequately meet the needs of a city the size of Dallas, yet DPD fields only about 3,000. Budgeting only $654 million for DPD this year, City officials are poised to spend much less than other high-crime jurisdictions, like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Relatedly, Downtown Dallas sees roughly seven times more crime than Fort Worth’s downtown area, which is patrolled by a special police unit and private security guards, and black and Hispanic individuals comprise the overwhelming majority of victims when it comes to murder, assault, and sex offenses, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
