End Texas Roadway Fatalities: Garcia Files Bills to Help

Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas   With spring break just around the corner we know that there will be more cars and trucks on Texas roads. With safety and increased traffic in mind Senator Garcia has filed a roadway safety package of legislation. Ten people die every day using the Texas transportation system the second highest fatality rate in the nation. It doesnt have to be this way. TxDOT cities counties municipal planning organizations and nonprofits do important work to cut down on the amount of traffic fatalities. But sometimes they run up against old laws and codes from another era when we did not understand the breadth and causes of the epidemic of traffic deaths.

Attributable to Senator Sylvia Garcia: These bills address the urgent need to make our transportation system safer from our state highways to neighborhood streets. We must set a goal that no one dies on Texas roads so that the public knows that safety is our top priority. Ive been working on transportation issues for long enough to know that we must change our mindset not just our laws. If we cant look Texans in the eyes and tell them were working in a methodical way to end roadway tragedies then we are simply failing the people who elected us. Antiquated state law shouldnt get in the way of protecting our communities."

SB 2201 relates to the inspection maintenance and repair of guardrails by the Texas Department of Transportation. TxDOT does not keep an inventory or conduct regular inspections of guardrails. The results from a deadly school bus accident in Senate District 6 in 2015 illustrate why current standards fail to keep us safe. TxDOT found there had been a previous severe impact to the bridge rail in the same location where a Houston ISD school bus had surmounted the bridge rail on September 15 2015. TxDOT could not determine when the previous severe impact occurred because they do not keep records. How many other guardrails meant to keep us safe on highways arent up to current standards? TxDOT says they dont know. In order to make safety at the core of our infrastructure design SB 2101 would require TxDOT to conduct a study and formulate a plan based on its findings for guardrail inspection maintenance and repair. SCR 42 is a zero fatalities resolution. The passing of this resolution is meant to set a clear goal from the legislature to TxDOT and help direct and motivate their hard work toward making our roadways safer. Traffic fatalities and injuries are a preventable public health issue. Every death on our highways and streets is a tragedy. People will make mistakes; the transportation system should be designed so those mistakes arent fatal.  Design can influence behavior and if zero fatalities is our goal I know we can achieve it stated Garcia. SB 2102 would allow cities to reduce traffic deaths and injuries on neighborhood streets. If you hit a pedestrian while driving at 30mph the pedestrian only has a 50/50 chance of survival. The bill would simply allow Texas cities to change their default speed limit from 30 to 25mph to dramatically increase the survivability of car-pedestrian accidents. SB 2103 would allow Texas cities to respond to resident requests for safer streets by allowing them to set a 20mph speed limit under carefully delineated circumstances including a comprehensive pilot program with clear signage a traffic study and data reported back to TxDOT. Individual neighborhoods and cities could design a safer transportation system for their children and families. State Senator Sylvia R. Garcia represents Senate District 6 and serves as Chair of the Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus