Written by The Dallas Morning News is reporting on the disproportionate number of deaths among low-income people of color, as pedestrian deaths rise in Texas. The article also cites the Vision Zero efforts by Dallas and other cities, both in Texas and across the United States, to reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths.
The article reports:
All of Texas’ major metropolitan areas are confronting an upturn in pedestrian crashes and are trying to reverse the pattern by adopting Vision Zero, which strives to end road crashes.
It also reports on the recently passed Lisa Torry Smith Act:
State Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, who sponsored the bill in the House, compared the new statute to decades-old state laws fining people for not wearing seatbelts. He said the threat of criminal sanctions serves as a powerful deterrent to enforce good behavior in an automobile. The law also requires motorists to come to a complete stop while yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Lisa’s sister, Gina Torry, who leads Citizens for Road Safety and was a driving force behind the bill’s passage, is quoted:
“In honoring my sister’s life and death, I have made it a point to ensure to the best of our ability that this doesn’t happen again. And if it does, there are consequences.”