Texas leads in crashes by unlicensed drivers, data shows

Traffic on I-35 in central Austin on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.

Texas’ roads are heading into the holiday season with a growing risk: thousands of crashes caused by drivers who were never legally allowed behind the wheel.

A new analysis of federal crash data found that Texas leads the nation in roadway incidents involving unlicensed drivers — a problem that also shows up in nearly one in five pedestrian deaths statewide. From 2018 to 2022, Texas recorded more than 18,000 crashes tied to unlicensed drivers, accounting for 31% of all crashes studied. Of the state’s 3,567 pedestrian deaths, almost 20% involved an unlicensed vehicle.

The findings come from crash records compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analyzed by Dennis Hernandez Injury Attorneys, which reviewed five years of fatal and non-fatal incidents involving unlicensed drivers.

A national pattern but Texas is on top

While every state sees crashes involving people driving without a license, only a handful report rates approaching Texas’ share.

Hawaii ranked second, with more than a quarter of its 498 crashes linked to unlicensed drivers and 12.5% of its 152 pedestrian deaths involving unlicensed vehicles. North Carolina followed with nearly 7,200 total crashes, 27% caused by unlicensed drivers.

Other states with similarly high proportions included:

• Louisiana: 3,900 crashes (26.9%), 14.7% of pedestrian deaths.
• Nevada: 1,636 crashes (26.5%), 13.8% of pedestrian deaths.
• Colorado: 3,044 crashes (26.4%), 11.6% of pedestrian deaths.
• Indiana: 4,090 crashes (26.4%), 12.1% of pedestrian deaths.
• Alaska: 321 crashes (26.2%), 14.3% of pedestrian deaths.
• California: the highest total pedestrian deaths, 5,339, though a smaller share (11.3%) involved unlicensed vehicles; 25.9% of its 18,890 crashes were tied to unlicensed drivers.
• Tennessee: 5,577 crashes (25.9%), 12.5% of pedestrian deaths.

Arkansas narrowly missed the top 10 but reported that one in four crashes involved an unlicensed driver.

Why unlicensed drivers matter

Safety analysts say the numbers point to gaps in enforcement, training and insurance coverage. Risk also spikea as more people travel during the holidays.

“Unlicensed drivers represent a serious and often overlooked threat to public safety,” said attorney Dennis Hernandez, whose firm conducted the analysis. “This data shows that thousands of pedestrians are losing their lives in preventable incidents involving unlicensed vehicles.”