MIDLAND, Texas — Police are warning West Texans about the dangers of walking near busy roads.
Since Friday, there have been two fatal auto-pedestrian accidents in Midland, one on Midkiff and one on Wadley.
Police tell us the drivers were not at fault in the accidents
Instead, it was the pedestrians, not paying attention and crossing the street where they are not supposed to.
“For us it’s a concern because we see the trauma of it," Sgt. Ed Marker, Midland Police Traffic Unit, said. "The person that hit them, even though it’s not their fault, it’s a trauma that’s going to last their lifetime.”
On average, MPD responds to about 56 auto-pedestrian crashes a year.
In 2019 and 2020 there were four auto-pedestrian fatalities.
So far, there have been two fatalities in 2021.
“We just have people crossing the streets where they aren’t supposed to, not in the crosswalks," Marker said. "And then also some of the crashes are caused with driver inattention, people being on their cellphones or just not paying attention.”
Police worry as traffic picks up in the Tall City, so will the accidents.
“Midland, some of the roads are still set up for a small-town atmosphere and we are not really a small town," Marker said. "We have big city traffic problems and congestion, multiple that by trucks and oil field trucks and it all adds to the congestion and to the problems we're looking at.”
So what should the community know to keep people safe?
“You might think you have the right to cross the street but you are not going to win when a vehicle hits you," Marker said. "So pay attention, cross at the crosswalks, cross at the intersections, cross at the lights, don’t just walk across.”
If you are caught crossing the street illegally that is a misdemeanor, which means a citation or jail time.
But citations here will not do much. The big takeaway from police for both drivers and pedestrians is to pay attention. Stay off your phones, drive the speed limit and be aware.