Traffic safety important as drivers leave the coast after Spring Break

Anyone who has driven on Texas highways has seen the familiar slogan, "#EndtheStreakTX," dotting the billboards that tower overhead, imploring drivers to practice safer driving habits.

The Texas Department of Transportation launched the campaign as a clarion call to reduce the streak of fatal traffic accidents on Texas roadways that have happened since Nov. 7, 2000, the last day there were zero deaths on Texas roads.

The commitment is to reduce deaths on Texas roads to zero by 2050.

With the official spring break lineup of events ending in Corpus Christi this week and people traveling home from their destinations, public safety officers are imploring drivers to stay alert on the roads.

Texas has more vehicular crashes than any other state, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Early Estimates of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for the First Nine Months (January through September) of 2023, published last December.

Based on reportable crashes in 2022, one person was killed every hour and 57 minutes, and one reportable crash occurred every 57 seconds in Texas, resulting in a loss of 4,481 lives last year.

Why are Texas roads so dangerous?

The leading cause of accidents is speeding. Distracted driving is a close second. Texas law imposes a low maximum fine of $200 or a penalty of no more than 30 days in jail for reckless drivers. In other states, the offense can result in a $5,000 fine and up to a year in jail.

Another contributing factor is alcohol. TxDoT crash statistics reveal that one person was killed every seven hours in an alcohol-related crash on Texas roads in 2022.

There were 1,163 people killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes where a driver was under the influence of alcohol in 2022. Alcohol was also involved in about 26% of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes last year.

Most of the drivers in DWI-related crashes are between the ages of 25 and 34, followed by those 16 to 24.

“The sobering fact about these factors is that every one of them is 100% preventable,” said Rickey Dailey, TxDOT district public information officer.

“What drivers can do to reach the goal of zero deaths on Texas roadways is practice simple driving habits — things including wearing seatbelts, driving the speed limit and driving in a way that’s appropriate for the road conditions," Dailey said.

“If the road speed posted is 70 miles per hour, and it’s raining, drivers need to slow down,” he said. “They need to put away their phone and other distractions anytime they drive."

He stressed that designated drivers should not have had anything to drink, and that people should take advantage of ride share programs, call a taxi or family member, or stay put until they’re sober.

Drivers and passengers should also ensure they wear their seatbelts. About 48% of people killed in vehicles in 2022 were not wearing them at the time of the fatal crash, the crash facts show.

For people traveling into Corpus Christi on holidays such as spring break, the familiar string of traffic along Interstate Highway 37 and State Highway 361, the main route to Port Aransas, local police are implementing monitoring measures each year to mitigate the risk impaired drivers pose.

Among them is the Corpus Christi Police Department’s Island Command post. It was activated at the beginning of spring break with dedicated DWI patrols monitoring traffic flow along key intersections of Park Road 22, including Whitecap Boulevard, Zahn Road and State Highway 361.

Officers monitored traffic from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. every day from March 8 to March 17. Though statistics are still being investigated, no major crashes or significant traffic delays were reported on the island, according to CCPD Captain Tim Frazier, who oversees the department’s Traffic Division.

A recent study found that Corpus Christi is among the top U.S. cities for nighttime crashes involving motor vehicles.

The study, conducted by Florida personal injury lawyers Anidjar & Levine, found that 74.1%, or 123 out of 166, of fatal crashes that happened in the city between 2017 and 2021 were during nighttime hours between midnight and 5:59 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.

This places Corpus Christi second in the number of nighttime crashes behind San Bernardino, California.

While the reasons aren’t clear, alcohol affects a higher incidence of crashes and accidents that happen in darkness. DUI alcohol-related fatal crashes are much worse during nighttime hours.

Thirty-one percent of drivers involved in fatal nighttime crashes have a 0.08 blood alcohol content, compared to 11% during the day, according to NHTSA 2021 crash statistics.

Alcohol impairment — aggravated by foggy or variable light conditions and an increase in heavy trucks and traffic — can all increase the risk of crashes, fatalities and injuries.

Another less-cited reason for crashes in Texas are single vehicle, run-off-the-road crashes.

Though people often think of automobile crashes as direct multi-vehicle collisions, single vehicle crashes resulted in 1,471 deaths in Texas 2022, accounting for 32.83% of all motor vehicle traffic deaths in the state that year.

To improve safety and reduce the risks of accidents for Texans across the state and individual counties, one of TxDOT’s local review teams looks at fatal crashes to determine whether safety enhancements can be implemented.

These include more adequate or frequent signage and lighting at busy urban intersections and also rural areas, where roads may need to be upgraded or redesigned to accommodate more traffic and commuters.

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Spring Break traffic safety in Corpus Christi and Texas