Pedestrian safety urged ahead of Halloween

With Halloween rapidly approaching, traffic and law enforcement agencies are teaming up to urge trick-or-treaters to be safe on the streets.

El Paso’s Texas Department of Transportation office, police department and El Paso Electric are launching a pedestrian safety campaign on Monday.

The campaign launch also comes days ahead of the end of daylight saving time on Nov. 4, meaning the sun will be setting earlier.

“We have had 24 pedestrian traffic related deaths in the City of El Paso this year, compared to 20 for all of 2017,” said El Paso Police Assistant Chief Victor Zarur in a news release sent to ABC-7. “While the driver has been at fault in a few cases, the majority of our pedestrian deaths this year are a result of pedestrians not crossing at appropriate locations.”

As trick-or-treaters head out on Halloween, police urge pedestrians to always use a crosswalk and sidewalks, if available. It is illegal to walk in the road if a sidewalk is nearby. If there isn’t a sidewalk, pedestrians should walk on the left side of the road facing traffic, as far away from traffic as possible.

Organizers are also asking everyone to be on the lookout for bilingual video public service announcements and to pick up one of the thousands of reflective slap bands that will be available at El Paso Police Department regional command centers.

Look for more information about the campaign on ABC-7 after the official launch of the joint safety collaboration Monday afternoon.