Improving Safety of Senior Drivers and Pedestrians on Texas Roads

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) funded projects to address the safety of senior pedestrians and drivers on Texas roadways. Between 2010 to 2019, 1,070 fatal and 2,879 suspected serious crashes involved a driver age 80 or older. The number of older pedestrians who were killed or sustained a suspected serious injury, more than doubled from 2010 to 2019. TxDOT’s Crash Records Information System (CRIS) indicates that 279 older pedestrians were killed (113 people) or suspect seriously injured (166 people) in 2019 in Texas while 130 older pedestrians were killed (51 people) or suspected seriously injured (79 people) in 2010. The goal of the projects is to keep seniors safe and mobile on Texas roads, either by walking or driving, for as long as possible. Through conducting crash analyses, the project team identified risk factors and recommendations to keep seniors safe and mobile and delivered educational sessions and materials state-wide with a particular emphasis on communities with the highest incidences of senior driver and pedestrian crashes. These materials are available under the “Resources” section below.