Safest cities for driving in Texas: Lubbock is No. 4

By Macy Ranzer, maranzer@ttu.edu and Molly Bauer, mobauer@ttu.edu

Lubbock was in the top five safest driving cities in Texas, according to a report by LendingTree.

It ranked fourth overall.  Only Amarillo, McAllen, and McKinney had safer drivers. 

LendingTree’s “Best and Worst Drivers by State: Report’s” data was collected from insurance companies around the nation from November 2023 through November 2024. 

The company took each city's publicly sourced insurance company filings and broke them down by the number of accidents per 1000 drivers. Lubbock was ranked No. 4 on the list with 6.8 accidents per 1000 drivers. 

Mckinney topped the list with 4.7 accidents per 1000 drivers. 

Other factors taken into the data were DUIs and speeding tickets. 

Kacie Davis. Lubbock Police Department’s public information officer, attributed safe driving in Lubbock to efforts by her department to keep roads safe.

“We’ll take some credit as a department because we’ve put a lot of effort into traffic enforcement,” Davis said. “When you see a motorcycle cop, me too. I slow down, you know? ‘Oh man, I’m going a little too fast’.” 

Davis also credits Lubbock’s environment and atmosphere for giving drivers a better experience on the roads. '

“One of our greatest strengths in Lubbock is that it’s flat and a lot of roadways are straight,” Davis said. “So that lends itself to speed.” 

Lubbock is built on a grid system that contributes to its safe driving record and works as a key feature to make driving straight forward. 

The streets run south and the avenues run west which creates a simplistic layout. The streets are also numbered like 82nd St., 114th St., which helps drivers navigate the roads with minimal confusion. 

Another road that helps drivers move more efficiently is Loop 289 which acts as a ring around the city, assisting residents in getting around without needing to cut through congested areas. 

Similarly, the Marsha Sharp Freeway also helps connect the west and east sides quickly and reduces traffic. 

Although the roads are designed to keep drivers safe, there are times when driving does become more dangerous – like when school is in session. 

“It’s just more drivers with less experience on the road,” Davis said. “We’re dealing with people who got their driver’s license at 16 and are now 18-21, so not a whole lot of time behind the wheel.” 

LendingTree’s data reflects that Gen Z – those born between 1997-2012 – are the worst generation of drivers with 47.5 incidents per 1000 drivers. 

With around 5 colleges and over 7 high schools, DataCommons estimates that 35% of Lubbock’s population is Gen Z. 

But even with such a large Gen Z cohort, Lubbock still sits very high on the safe driving list. 

Davis says, sporting events also bring out the less experienced drivers. 

“Football brings 65,000 people to one place,” she said. “They may show up at different times, but for the most part, they’re all leaving at once. Combined with the tailgating and drinking alcohol, football lends itself to more issues.” 

LendingTree has many more findings and the data can be accessed here.