The likelihood of fatality increases exponentially with vehicle speed.
However, Leff said about 85% of motorists travel within 10 miles per hour of a given posted speed limit. Therefore, reducing speed limits can actually help lower average speeds in an area even if law enforcement is unavailable. “There’s always going to be the five or 10% that go beyond [the speed limit], and there will need to be some level of regulation or enforcement [for those people],” Leff said. Pedestrian safety Pedestrians account for over a third of traffic deaths, according to city data, outnumbering bicycle, motorcy- cle and vehicle-on-vehicle deaths. Data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration shows speeding not only increases motorists’ chances of being involved in an accident, but it also increases the severity of injuries caused by the crash, especially concerning car-on-pedestrian collisions. For example, data from the National Association of City Transportation Officials states if a pedestrian is hit by a car going 23 mph, there is a 1 in 10 chance that person will die, but a driver who hits a pedestrian at 32 mph raises the odds to 1 in 4. At 50 mph,
100%
38mph Current average of updated roads
75%
25% of people will die 32 mph,
The likelihood of a pedestrian dying in an automobile accident increases drastically as the speed rises. Dangers of speeding for pedestrians
75% of people will die 50 mph,
50%
23 mph, 10% of people will die
44mph Previous average of updated roads
25%
0%
15 MPH
MPH 25
MPH 35
MPH 45
MPH 55
SOURCE: NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION SAFETY ADMINISTRATION/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Impact speed
said Elizabeth De La Garza, a TxDOT grant administrator with the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center who runs DRSR. Rather, De La Garza said speedy drivers should have “meaningful con- sequences,” such as taking a driving safety course. DRSR’s goal is to integrate traffic safety into the education system, as traffic safety affects more than just drivers, but young people who are pedestrians and passengers, accord- ing to Ryan Turner, Executive Director
that rate jumps to 75%. “Every [extra] mile per hour comes with exponential risk,” Leff said. Traffic safety education Employees at Driving on the Ride Side of the Road, a TxDOT program that offers free traffic safety resources to schools, courts and community organizations, agree that enforcement is a part of the solution to safer roads, but note that it does not have to mean punishment, but education. “It doesn’t mean a monstrous fine,”
at Texas Municipal Courts Education Center. DRSR also recommends traf- fic safety courses for older individuals who need help adapting to changing road environments, such as electric scooters. “We’re not on the road alone; we’re a community,” Turner said. “We need to drive as if we are driving with the whole community with us."
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • JULY 2022
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