On November 7, Texas will mark a full 21 consecutive years of daily deaths on state and local roadways with more than 75,000 lives lost to fatal crashes. For the past several years, about ten people have died every day from crashes across Texas. During the height of the pandemic, when traffic dropped nearly 50%, the death rate climbed to more than 11 a day, shocking state transportation leaders.
Texas Transportation Commissioner Laura Ryan said every Texan must do their part. And while the goal of ending the deadly streak is ambitious, Ryan said, it is far from impossible.
“We stick with it. We keep telling the story. We fight back when people say personal responsibility is not a thing. It is. And we don’t give up,” Ryan said. “I am hopeful that it will happen sooner than later, but I am confident that it will happen.”
Most crashes and fatalities are preventable and caused by things such as speeding, drunk driving and distracted driving. That’s why the approach to reaching zero deaths must be through what TxDOT calls the 3 E’s – engineering, education and enforcement. That way, everyone has a responsibility to keep our roads and fellow drivers safe.
In 2020, 92 people were killed in roadway crashes within the City of Austin. Driving under the influence and speeding were the two leading contributing factors in fatal crashes.
In 2021, already more than 100 people have been killed by crashes on Austin roads.
