CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — KRIS6 News reported on pedestrian safety and TxDOT's campaign to save lives last year.
In its continued efforts to raise awareness for pedestrian safety, TxDOT had "walking billboards" walk three Southside intersections and 7 downtown intersections on Thursday .
Richard Spencer, who walks everywhere he goes, believes safety is a shared responsibility.
"It falls on you to an extent because we all have a part in our safety. We can't expect everyone to watch out for us," Spencer said.
Spencer emphasizes the importance of making eye contact with drivers when crossing streets.
"For the most part though, when I cross the street, I stop and make eye contact with any vehicles," Spencer said.
He warns pedestrians that being legally right doesn't guarantee safety.
"If you're a pedestrian… you might be in the right. But if you get hit by a car you're still going to end up in the hospital," Spencer said.
For the Corpus Christi district, which includes several neighboring counties, there were 140 traffic crashes involving pedestrians. 17 of those were fatalities and includes 32 serious injuries in 2023.
In 2024, those numbers shifted to 20 pedestrian fatalities, 24 serious injuries and 135 total crashes.
Within Corpus Christi specifically, total accidents decreased from 91 to 90 from 2023 to 2024. However, fatalities rose from 8 to 11. Serious injuries decreased from 19 to 16.
David Pallotti, TxDOT's traffic safety specialist, stresses that safety requires cooperation from everyone.
"Every time you get into the car, and every time you are a pedestrian. It's not just the drivers. Everybody, both pedestrians and drivers have to do it together for everybody to be safe," Pallotti said.
According to TxDOT, October is the deadliest month for pedestrians in Texas. Pallotti attributes driving intoxicated and speeding as leading factors in pedestrian accidents, with inattention being another major concern.
"Not only are the drivers getting more and more used to having their phones in their cars and getting distracted in that way," Pallotti said.
The distraction problem extends beyond drivers.
"But on the pedestrian side, people are doing the same thing with their phones," Pallotti said.
TxDOT has the following recommendations:
For drivers:
● Stay alert. Look out for pedestrians everywhere, at all times.
● Stop. Yield for pedestrians in crosswalks.
● Yield the right of way to pedestrians when turning.
● Pay attention. Put your phone away before you begin driving. Be prepared if pedestrians enter your path.
● Be cautious when passing stopped vehicles. They can block your view of pedestrians.
● Follow speed limits. Drive to conditions.
● Be especially careful if you drive a large SUV or pickup truck. They have large blind spots in front that can make it hard to see pedestrians
For pedestrians:
● Cross the street only at intersections and crosswalks.
● Make eye contact with drivers before crossing. Don’t assume traffic will stop for you.
● Follow all traffic and crosswalk signals. Look left, right, then left again before crossing.
● When walking, put away your phone or earbuds that take your attention off the road.
● Stay visible. Wear reflective materials or use a flashlight when it’s dark.
TxDOT officials say this information becomes even more crucial as daylight saving time ends soon, reducing visibility during evening commute hours.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
