Harris County police aim to decrease pedestrian deaths over holidays
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Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg before a press conference yesterday. Photo: Jay R. Jordan/Axios
Harris County police will increase traffic enforcement around crosswalks this holiday season in an effort to curb pedestrian and cycling casualties.
Why it matters: At least 160 pedestrians have been killed by drivers in all of Harris County since the beginning of 2023, according to data compiled by the Texas Department of Transportation.
- There were 188 crashes involving the death of a pedestrian in 2022, and 162 in 2021.
By the numbers: 17 of Harris County's 2023 pedestrian deaths occurred at an intersection, the data shows.
- More than two dozen cyclists have also died on Harris County streets this year, six of whom were killed at an intersection.
The big picture: Houston and Harris County aren't immune to the rising number of pedestrian and cycling deaths across the country.
Driving the news: Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at a Thursday press conference that his deputies will be paying close attention to crosswalks and intersections for traffic infractions.
- "This means greater responsibility for our drivers," District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
What happened: Ogg cited "old laws and new laws" that police can use to hold drivers more accountable for crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists, including the Lisa Torry Smith Act — a 2021 Texas law making it a felony for drivers to severely injure or kill someone in a crosswalk.
- She also mentioned a change in Texas statutes allowing those on foot to walk against traffic if no sidewalks are available.
Between the lines: Harris County prosecutors have never charged a driver with a Lisa Torry Smith Act offense, despite some cases that could have risen to the occasion.
- A DA's office representative told Axios the office is working to educate law enforcement on the relatively new laws so they can hold drivers accountable.
Meanwhile, Fort Bend County prosecutors are trying the state's first use of the Lisa Torry Smith Act law against a driver who allegedly hit and killed a 50-year-old man walking his dog in a crosswalk in September.
Yes, but: Enforcement doesn't create safe infrastructure, which advocates say will help reduce traffic deaths.
- Both Ogg and Gonzalez criticized the city and county's lack of safe options for all road users, like reliable sidewalks.
What they're saying: "We also have a serious challenge with poor infrastructure," Gonzalez said. "There's a lot of areas that don't have sidewalks. That infrastructure hasn't [been] built out."
- "We have a lot of desolate roadways, a lot of rural type of neighborhoods out in unincorporated Harris County. And so we've got to be paying close attention."
The bottom line: Drive safe this holiday season — and always.