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Four Texas cities are in the top 10 nationwide cities for speed-related fatal crashes.
At 40 miles per hour, 90% of people who are hit while walking do not survive, compared to only 10% at 20 mph. Latinos make up a larger portion of pedestrian fatalities than whites.
Speed is the most important factor to regulate to improve pedestrian safety for Latinos and all pedestrians.
On February 10, 2017, Texas State Representative Celia Israel called for passage of the Safe Neighborhood Streets Bill (HB 1368) to lower the default speed limit in urban areas by 5 miles per hour, from 30 mph to 25 mph.
Decreasing the speed limit to 25 mph would increase a pedestrian’s odds of surviving a collision by 43%, according to one source, and could reduce disparities in pedestrian fatalities.
In line with the Vision Zero goal to completely eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries, some cities have chosen to reduce speeds on other roads as well. Representative Israel’s second bill (HB 1745) will help these cities. HB 1745 would allow cities to lower speed limits on certain highways without the costly burdens mandated by current law.
Vision Zero Texas started a petition to the Texas State Senate, Texas State House, and the Governor Greg Abbott, to pass the Safe Neighborhood Streets Bill during the 2017 legislative session.
“We won’t save the number of lives we aim to without shifting our understanding of traffic violence from an individual behavior problem to a design, policy, and organizational practices problem,” according to the Vision Zero Network.
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By The Numbers
27
percent
of Latinos rely on public transit (compared to 14% of whites).
