Texas Farm-to-Market (FM) Road 2100 One of the State's Deadliest

Per capita, Crosby's FM 2100 - specifically, the stretch connecting FM 1960 and U.S. Interstate 90 - has proven itself one of the most dangerous roads in the Houston area. There has been a marked increase in traffic on this roadway in recent years, and a higher traffic volume has tragically led to more car accidents.

Safety Study Investigated Causes of Car Accidents Along FM 2100

There have been hundreds of motor vehicle crashes on that stretch of road in the past few years, including more than 130 in 2010. Following a recent fatal accident - one that killed 16-year-old Crosby High School cheerleader Nicole Vestal - the Texas State Department of Transportation (TXDOT) performed a safety study of four intersections along FM 2100.

The information uncovered by TXDOT's research reveals a staggering increase in traffic volume along the road since 2008 - the daily average number of cars using the road shot up to nearly 22,300. This translates to 1,000 more cars on a road each day that is simply not designed to keep up with that sort of demand. The increased volume, combined with other factors like weather conditions, poor driving habits, speeding, distracted driving and more, has led to hundreds of accidents in the past few years, and nearly 10 deaths as a result of fatal car crashes.

Increased safety precautions like the installation of traffic control devices (stop lights, warning lights, stop signs and turn lanes) will hopefully help slow the tide of accidents like the one that killed noted Texas blues guitarist "Mean" Gene Kelton in late 2010. The FM 2100/Stroker Road intersection will benefit from the installation of a traffic light by April of 2011, and a flashing caution light will be installed at the FM 2100/Spanish Cove intersection by the end of January 2011. Analysis of traffic patterns and roadway safety along FM 2100 is ongoing.

Related Resource: KHOU.com "TxDot: Study Shows More Than 100 Crashes in 2010 on Stretch of FM 2100"