ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Abilene has officially surpassed the highest-number of traffic deaths in a single year.

Friday, Abilene police confirmed a woman involved in a fiery 2-vehicle crash on FM 18 died at the hospital, marking the 22nd traffic fatality so far in 2022, across 17 different incidents.

The previous record, set in 2014, was 21 fatalities in 20 different wrecks.

16 of the crashes happened in the first half of the year, putting a strain on the Abilene Police Department and other first responders.

They launched Operation Slow Down in June with hopes of slowing the trend, but it seems their efforts did not pull through.

With more than 3 months left in the year, 2022 has the potential to generate an even more devastating lead on the number of fatalities in a single year.

BigCountryHomepage.com continue to provide updates on the latest major traffic events.