The Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) is on a mission to remind people to stay alert whether they are driving, walking, running, or cycling to their destinations.
TXDOT is using human billboards to remind travelers of all transportation modes to stay alert. Fort Worth sidewalks, for example, recently hosted people carrying billboards with messages about pedestrian safety.
In a TXDOT report, pedestrian fatalities were shown to be up 15 percent in 2021. Annual Texas motor vehicle crash statistics show 819 pedestrians were killed in Texas in 2021, and 91 pedal cyclists were fatally struck.
In the City of Dallas, 842 traffic crashes in 2021 involved pedestrians; 108 of those were fatalities. In the Fort Worth area last year, there were 451 crashes involving pedestrians; 69 were fatal.
TXDOT’S human billboards took to the streets on Thursday near the TCU campus to parade their message.
In an interview with a local news outlet, a TXDOT spokesperson conveyed in the simplest of terms, “Speed is always a factor. Slowing down is never a bad idea. Slowing down is always a good idea,” he said.
The Dallas Express reached out to the transportation department for additional comment and information, but none was readily available.