By: Chris Cheng
KILLEEN – The Texas Department of Transportation is using their highway message boards for a new type of warning.
The new initiative was started to draw attention to the number of statewide traffic deaths that occur each month.
Beginning Monday, and continuing all week, the agency will be giving drivers the up to date numbers of people killed in traffic accidents.
Those numbers will be displayed on 700 highway message boards.
TxDOT spokesman, Ken Roberts, hopes the numbers will be a stark reminder to take caution while driving.
"Safety is an ongoing thing and one traffic death is one too many and we just want to keep the public aware and for them to focus on safety every time they get into their vehicles," Roberts said.
So far there have been 1,785 deaths this year.
Roberts said annual rate has seen a drop of about 21 percent since 2003, but are still averaging 250 deaths a month.
The leading cause of many crashes is distracted drivers who are texting or talking on their phone and not paying attention to their speed.
"It's not worth your life or someone else's when the solutions to the transportation safety problems we face every day are so simple.
Just by wearing your seat belt, a driver can dramatically improve their chances of avoiding death or serious injury in a crash," said Carol Rawson, TxDOT's Traffic Operations Director.
TxDOT said they will continue updating the numbers and post them on the third week of each month.
