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US Route 281
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 299Deaths 360Counties 18Latest data year 2024
FARS data are based on police crash reports and other sources; the drunk-driving measure is based on the highest BAC of any driver in the crash. Latest data year: 2024. The route is the trafficway recorded for each crash (FARS TWAY_ID); the same route number in another state has its own page.
US Route 281 in Texas was the trafficway in 299 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 360 people died.
That is 0.8% of the 35,785 fatal crashes in Texas over the same years. The ten-year crash count was about level between 2005–2014 (310) and 2015–2024 (299).
The crashes were concentrated in Bexar County (53), Blanco County (32) and Hidalgo County (28) and 15 other counties.
25.1% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Texas: 25.5%) and 24.7% had a speeding-related driver (32.1%); pedestrians were 13.1% and motorcyclists 7.5% of those killed.
Fatal crashes per year
Route identification in FARS is consistent from 2000; earlier years are not shown. Shaded band: the ten-year window used for the shares below.
Compared with all fatal crashes in Texas
| Measure | US Route 281 | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 299 | 35,785 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 360 | 39,616 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 0.8% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | -4% | +19% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-281 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bexar County | 53 | 18% | 1,940 |
| 2 | Blanco County | 32 | 11% | 50 |
| 3 | Hidalgo County | 28 | 9% | 586 |
| 4 | Burnet County | 27 | 9% | 103 |
| 5 | Erath County | 26 | 9% | 120 |
| 6 | Jim Wells County | 26 | 9% | 81 |
| 7 | Palo Pinto County | 19 | 6% | 72 |
| 8 | Live Oak County | 14 | 5% | 58 |
| 9 | Comal County | 13 | 4% | 181 |
| 10 | Brooks County | 11 | 4% | 24 |
| 11 | Lampasas County | 10 | 3% | 44 |
| 12 | Cameron County | 9 | 3% | 308 |
| 13 | Archer County | 7 | 2% | 27 |
| 14 | Hamilton County | 7 | 2% | 24 |
| 15 | Jack County | 7 | 2% | 32 |
| 16 | Wichita County | 5 | 2% | 137 |
| 17 | Atascosa County | 4 | 1% | 100 |
| 18 | Coryell County | 1 | 0% | 100 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 281 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Texas share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 0–5 | 56 | 19% |
| Mile 10–15 | 51 | 17% |
| Mile 5–10 | 46 | 15% |
| Mile 20–25 | 43 | 14% |
| Mile 25–30 | 29 | 10% |
| Mile 15–20 | 25 | 8% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 98.3% of crashes on the route have a milepoint. Milepoints are as recorded by the state and can restart at county or district lines.
Other routes in Texas
- Interstate 10 994
- Interstate 35 915
- Interstate 20 852
- Interstate 45 668
- US Route 59 432
- Interstate 30 404
- US Route 90 338
- US Route 287 314
- State Route 6 283
- US Route 69 271
- US Route 84 254
- US Route 290 252
All routes and counties in Texas
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 281 in Texas?
299 fatal crashes with 360 deaths over 2015–2024, per NHTSA's FARS. The route is the trafficway recorded for the crash; the same numbered route in another state has its own page.
Which counties along US Route 281 had the most fatal crashes?
Bexar County (53), Blanco County (32), Hidalgo County (28), Burnet County (27) and Erath County (26).
What share of crashes on US Route 281 involved alcohol or speeding?
25.1% had a driver reported as drinking and 24.7% a speeding-related driver, against 25.5% and 32.1% for all fatal crashes in Texas.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 281?
52.5% of the crashes were between 6pm and 6am. The hour chart on this page shows the full distribution.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, annual national CSV files 2000–2024 (accident, vehicle and person tables), public domain. Route pages are built for signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology and corrections.