The Texas Department of Transportation has good news- that year-over-year traffic fatalities on Texas dropped 11 percent in 2009 from the previous year.
The department attributed a large portion of that unprecedented drop to an increased focus on safety-related projects in the past six years.
“Safety is our top priority,” said TXDOT spokesman Larry Krantz. “One life lost on the roadways each year is too many, but a one-year decrease in fatalities of 11 percent is excellent news.”
Continuing the good news trend:  Statewide, there were 3,089 fatalities on Texas highways in 2009, down from 3,477 in 2008, and down further still from 3,921 in 2003 when the department first started designing and building safety-specific projects on a statewide basis.
The combined Tyler District numbers reflect the 11-percent statewide decrease, but show a wide disparity between the eight counties the district serves.
The East Texas counties also share in this welcoming news.  Fatalities in 2009 dropped 53 percent in Gregg County, dropping from 32 in 2008, to 15. Van Zandt County saw a 35 percent decrease, dropping from 20 to 13, followed by Henderson County at 29.6 percent, 27 to 19, and Cherokee County, down 11 percent, 18 to 16.
However, Rusk County stayed the same at 18 fatalities.
Unfortunately some counties did not fair as well. Fatalities spiked in Wood County in 2009, jumping 140 percent from 5 to 12, up 18 percent in Anderson County from 17 to 20 and up nearly 10 percent in Smith County, from 41-45.
According to Krantz, that just goes to show that even though the numbers are trending downward, we still have a lot of work to do, both as TXDOT and as individual motorists.
Krantz discussed one particular project that stood out in his mind: the concrete median barrier on Interstate 20, which runs from the Kaufman County Line to the Harrison County Line.
“Every time I drive on the Interstate, I look at the marks on that wall,” he said. “And I think, for each one of those marks, that barrier may have prevented a crossover wreck. And head-on wrecks on the Interstate are almost always fatal.”
TXDOT has another round of safety projects scheduled to begin construction next March, which includes $49 million for projects in the Tyler District including widening small sections of various narrow roadways and adding rumble strips on the centerline of some sections of highways.
The projects will break ground across the district over the next few years.
“We have some of the oldest and narrowest roads in the state right here in East Texas,” Krantz said. “We’ve taken some big steps toward doing our part from the engineering side to make highways safer, but as long as there are cars and trucks on the roads, there will be crashes, and some will inevitably be fatal. We’re just hoping for fewer and fewer each year.”

The last time the Texas legislature was in town, state lawmakers passed new laws governing Texas drivers. Two principle areas of focus were new safety belt laws and prohibitions on distracted driving activities.

Safety Belts

Effective June 1, vehicle occupants of all ages must be secured by a safety belt – whether they are seated in the front or the back seat of the vehicle. Prior to the law’s passage, occupants did not have to wear safety belts if they sat in the back seat. Unbuckled adult passengers in the front or back seat can be issued a citation.

Texas parents should remember that state law now requires children younger than eight years old be in a child safety seat or booster seat unless the child is taller than 4 feet 9 inches. Violators of the child safety seat law face fines of up to $250 plus court costs.

Distracted Driving

Texas lawmakers also restricted what Texas drivers can do while they are behind the wheel. Legislators acted to prevent distracted driving, which the U.S. Dept. of Transportation defines as “any non-driving activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of crashing.” This includes use of technology such as cell phones, personal digital assistants and other electronic devices.

The National Traffic Safety Administration reported that nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted driver, and more than half a million were injured. Younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.

Under a new Texas law, drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using a wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle.

Texas lawmakers prohibited all Texas drivers from using a wireless communication device in a school zone unless the vehicle is stopped or the device is hands-free. Texas cities and counties enforcing this law will have signs posted at the start of each school zone informing drivers that cell phone use is prohibited. Drivers who violate this law will be subject to a fine of up to $200. The only exception to this law is if the call made in a school zone is an emergency call.

All Texans should obey these new traffic laws and make our highways safer.

Points to Remember

BUCKLING UP ON TEXANS’ SAFETY

Vehicle occupants of all ages must be secured by a safety belt – front seat and back seat passengers.

• Children younger than eight years old must be in a child safety seat or booster seat unless they are taller than 4 feet 9 inches.

• Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using a wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle.

• All Texas drivers are prohibited from using a wireless communication device in a school zone unless the vehicle is stopped or the device is hands-free.

To access applicable Texas statutes, log onto www.capitol.state.tx.us.

For more information about this or other topics, visit www.texasattorneygenera

On Thursday, July 1, the City of Tyler Traffic Engineering Department will be turning off the traffic signal at Front Street and Wildwood Drive. Tyler Independent School District (TISD) is relocating Jones Elementary School; therefore, the Traffic Engineering Department anticipates much less traffic at this location.

Although the signal will not be in use after July 1, the signal poles will remain in place in the event the facility is reopened in the future. However, the signal heads will be removed to avoid driver confusion.

“This intersection will no longer warrant a signal because of decreased traffic volume,” said Traffic Engineer Peter Eng. “Fewer signals enhances our ability to keep traffic flowing safely and efficiently.”

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