On June 6, the Texas Transportation Commission (TCC) announced their plans for reducing Houston traffic fatalities via fatal roadway crashes across the state to zero by 2050. They noted that their initial goal is to reduce these deadly crashes by at least half what they currently are by 2035.
When making their first public statement on the matter, the TCC, part of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), pointed out what motivated them to set this goal. They noted that the state has some of the deadliest highways in the country. There are currently, on average, 3,900 traffic fatalities in Texas per year.
At their meeting, the TCC members acknowledged that the idea of no one dying in a car crash in Texas is likely farfetched. They noted they do believe that more can be done to prevent crashes in the first place though. They note that if this were to occur, then the fatality rate would drop.
Crash Reduction to Prevent Houston Traffic Fatalities
If the order were approved, then the 27 districts that fall under TxDOT’s dominion would all be required to implement any new crash reduction strategies that regulators come up with. This could greatly impact Houston as it’s the district with the largest population that TxDOT is responsible for.
The preliminary ideas that TCC has proposed for beginning to curb this death rate center around education, engineering and enforcement. They note that speed and space on some roads have increased. The number of straighter streets in Harris County has also gone up. Law enforcement agencies have increased their patrol of high fatality areas too.
Protecting Bicyclists in Houston
Many safety advocates argue that regulators could greatly reduce crash rates by installing more protected bike lanes. They note that in cities in which these have been introduced, it has resulted in better overall roadway safety. This has resulted in fewer cyclist fatalities. Since Houston has been slow to install these bike lanes, it has performed particularly poorly when compared with other larger cities in the country.
Those who travel along on Houston’s multitude of roadways each day seldom go without seeing a serious crash along their path. Since the city is a main commercial corridor for goods being transported from the Gulf to other parts of the state and country, many of these crashes to involve tractor-trailers.
The damage that they leave behind can be catastrophic. An attorney can let you know if you can seek compensation for driver negligence.
