Texas Department of Transportation and local officials remind us of the grim statistics on our roads, urging El Pasoans to drive and trick-or-treat safely.
In a press conference, TXDOT, El Paso Police Department, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, El Paso Fire Department, and Department of Public Safety officials warned the Borderland to drive carefully on Halloween as hundreds of kids and parents hit the streets to fill up their jack-o-lantern buckets with loads of candy.
“We can’t engineer our way out of traffic fatalities, so we need to educate the public,” said Tomas Trevino, TxDoT engineer.
Commander with EPCSO Ryan Urrutia urged drivers to pay close attention, not drive distracted, and reduce their speed in residential areas with trick-or-treaters out on the street.
He suggested that trick-or-treaters wear something reflective to make them visible to drivers, such as glow sticks or carrying a flashlight.
Just this year, TxDOT reported about 3,100 roadway fatalities, with a rising rate of pedestrian fatalities in El Paso.
Dr. Joel Hendricks, chief medical officer at University Medical Center in El Paso, said the trauma unit is at capacity, with dozens of patients arriving daily with injuries caused in crashes.
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