MIDLAND, Texas — The new year of 2024 has just begun, but Texas Department of Public Safety has already investigated seven car-pedestrian crashes.
Texas DPS Sergeant Steven Blanco has seen a pattern of distracted drivers in the past and it continues to be a big issue.
Drivers frequently talk and text on their phones and browse social media, both of which take their attention away from the road.
With new technology like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the digital distraction may be minimized, but there are still other things to sidetrack your focus.
"It's not just the screen, there's other distractions in the vehicle," Blanco said. "We have crashes from people eating, people grooming, makeup, shaving, pets can also be a distraction. Pets need to be in the back and not in the driver's lap."
There are many factors that have a role in causing fatal pedestrian accidents, one of them being speeding.
"That speed limit sign is not an end all be all," Blanco said. "If it's 75 or 80 [miles per hour], that doesn't mean drive 75 or 80 [miles per hour] no matter what the conditions are. That just means that's the maximum speed limit allowed on that road. The driver needs to reduce their speed based upon conditions, whether it's raining outside, fog in the morning or blowing dust in the afternoon from a West Texas dust storm. The drivers need to slow down."
The majority of pedestrian incidents that Blanco and DPS respond to are when people fail to use a crosswalk, also known as jaywalking.
"I know a lot of people downplay jaywalking because it's not really a crime, but it is a safety issue and it is against the law," Blanco said. "Crossing the roadway in that manner, you are taking your life into your own hands."
Crashes are more prone to happen in the evening. Some ways to combat the low visibility is with bright colors and reflective clothing.
"Pedestrians should obey traffic signs," Blanco said. "Watch for traffic. Remember, cars are not necessarily always watching for you, so utilize crosswalks."
As for drivers, Blanco encourages them to focus on the wheel.
"Make driving their number one priority," Blanco said. "Limit the distractions in the vehicle. Follow and obey all traffic warning signs; speed limits, stop signs, yield sighs, traffic lights and put that seatbelt on. That seatbelt keeps the driver inside the vehicle in a collision."
Staying alert is the key to everyone's safety on the road.
For pedestrians, there's also a new rule in place that should be abided by at all times.
Texas House Bill 1277 focuses on pedestrians using a sidewalk and this is what is said:
"This bill amends Transportation Code §552.006(b) to clarify required pedestrian positioning when walking along and on a highway. If a sidewalk is provided, pedestrians walking along a highway are required to utilize the sidewalk. If a sidewalk is not provided, a pedestrian walking along and on a highway is required to walk on the left side of the roadway or shoulder facing oncoming traffic. This legislation adds the exception 'unless the left side of the roadway or the shoulder of the highway facing oncoming traffic is obstructed or unsafe.' Pedestrians walking in areas where the left side of the roadway or shoulder is obstructed or unsafe are not required to walk in a specific position."