While fall and winter give Texans a much-needed reprieve from the summer heat, the change in seasons also brings fewer daylight hours, making it harder for drivers to see pedestrians and keep them safe.
October was the deadliest month for pedestrians last year, with 80 pedestrians dying in Texas traffic crashes. It was also the month that Lisa Torry Smith was killed in a crash in 2017 as she was walking her 6-year-old son to kindergarten in Missouri City. A motorist drove through a crosswalk, hitting Lisa and leaving her son with a broken leg and fractured pelvis—and without a mother.
A new law in her honor now requires drivers to stop and yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks. Lisa’s sister, Gina Torry, is now advocating for pedestrian safety. Sadly, Lisa’s story is just one of many. Over the last five years, pedestrian traffic fatalities in Texas increased 22%, and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is reminding everyone to be extra cautious and alert.
