Look both ways: Child pedestrian fatalities spike each Halloween
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Each Halloween, the number of child pedestrian fatalities spikes.
On a normal day, the national average usually stays below ten. Each Halloween, however, the number spikes to near 40. Those statistics are from 2011 to 2020, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The problem is happening across the nation, including here in El Paso. The problem is also wide-ranging. Texas has not gone a single day without a traffic fatality since 2000.
"This November 7, Texas marks 23 years of daily deaths on our roadways," a Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson stated Tuesday. "More than 83,000 people have died in crashes in Texas since Nov. 7, 2000. Last year alone, 4,406 people died on Texas roadways. Already in 2023, more than 3,100 people have died on our roads."
Experts say a number of factors are contributing to this trend.
"Overall, the top contributing factors in fatal crashes in the El Paso District are failure to control speed, driver inattention, pedestrian failing to yield the right of way, and drinking or driving under the influence," TXDOT added.
