Every time I get one of these press releases from the Texas Department of Public Safety, I stop and think. ‘Surely on Christmas, surely on Thanksgiving, surely on Easter. But no. Not one single day in 25 years has been “Death-Free-Day” on Texas roads.
That means every single day, a Texas family gets a visit or a phone call, the one that changes life forever. As someone who loves this state with my whole heart, it hurts to say that the last day without a traffic-related death in Texas was:
According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), since that day, more than 91,000 people have lost their lives on Texas roads. Just think:
-Ninety-one thousand families.
-Ninety-one thousand funerals.
-Ninety-one thousand empty seats at the dinner table.
We brag on our state, the big skies, big dreams, big hearts.
But this streak?
It’s not the kind of record we Texans want or deserve.
TxDOT calls it what it is: a crisis.
“It’s devastating thinking of all the families and communities that have lost loved ones in the last 25 years,” -Marc Williams, TxDOT Executive Director
TxDOT says the only way to end the streak is together, engineers, law enforcement, and us, the everyday Texan behind the wheel.
Engineering for Safety
TxDOT currently has $60 billion in active construction projects, and every single one includes a safety component.
They’re using:
For the next two weeks, DPS troopers will be handing out cards with safe-driving tips during traffic stops, a reminder that the smallest decisions prevent the biggest heartaches.
TxDOT lists the top preventable causes of fatal crashes:
These are simple things. Everyday choices.
And those everyday choices save lives.
I believe, deep down, we can be the generation that ends this streak.
-Not by law.
-Not by fear.
But rather:
-By protecting one another.
-By caring enough to slow down.
-By remembering that every taillight in front of us belongs to someone’s whole world.
If We Do This Right, One Morning We’ll Wake Up to Headlines That Say: “Texas Finally Has Its First Death-Free Day in 25 Years.” That’s a Texas-sized goal worth fighting for. So, let’s end the streak.
