Houston Chronicle wrote on November 21, 2021, on World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, calling for the leaders of TxDOT to accept responsibility for the death toll on Texas roads, and to renew funding and staffing accordingly.
In 2019 TxDOT launched a program to reduce traffic deaths, called Road To Zero, where they planned to reduce traffic fatalities by 50 percent by 2035 and eliminate them completely by 2050. However, this year they slashed its budget to zero in order to fund massive highway expansions, which will result in more total miles driven. Meanwhile, TxDOT blames drivers for the fatalities.
The article highlights some shocking stats:
There is no question that our state can do better to reduce the carnage on our roads. We can and must do better. State officials diverting funds designated to improve safety is no better than companies putting profit ahead of safety. We must use the funds designated for safety fixes not as a slush fund to expand the next highway; we must use those funds to reduce or eliminate needless injuries and death in our state
McCraw Law Group