Houston, Texas is a massive metropolitan center full of bustling activity. The road system there serves between two and three million vehicles each day including shipping trucks, SUVs, cars, and motorcycles. Amid all this mechanized travel, sadly, pedestrians often take the brunt of accident statistics.
Drivers are often focused more on their destinations and immediate needs than they are on the safety of pedestrians. Therefore, we want to provide a tangible reminder of the risks to everyone on Houston's roads.
Annual Pedestrian Deaths in Houston
Vision Zero, Houston's traffic death reduction task force, reports that in recent years, pedestrians suffered 36% of traffic deaths and 16% of major injuries. The rates rose during the pandemic since fewer cars and more pedestrians took to the streets. In four years, the total injury rate rose from 209 per year on average to 245. These incidents resulted in 115 pedestrian deaths in 2022. Because the effects of the pandemic appear to be lasting, that rate is not expected to decrease any time soon.
Following those studies, an additional 320+ people lost their lives on Houston streets, over 110 of which were pedestrians. While the official statistics for 2024 have not yet been compiled, we cannot expect these trends to improve without a significant amelioration of the poor awareness of drivers regarding the vulnerability of on-foot travelers.
A good place to start is with some grim data on the most dangerous spots for pedestrians, Houston intersections.
Houston's Most Deadly Intersections
Pedestrians are at high risk no matter where they travel in Houston. However, certain intersections have earned a grim reputation for all manner of automobile-related mishaps. A recent study by the University of Houston marked specific intersections as especially dangerous. The study was based on solid accident data gathered over several years and can serve as a useful reminder of where the most care is needed from motorists. The most dangerous intersections were cited as follows:
- S. Gessner Rd & Westpark Dr
- FM 1960 & W. Lake Houston Parkway
- Main St & Montrose Blvd
- Bissonnet St & Westchester Ave
- Pease St & Fannin St
These are locations where drivers are known to exhibit the least amount of caution. The pedestrian injuries for these locations range between 41 to 63 each year on average.
Pedestrian & Cyclist Accidents
In August of 2023, Vision Zero reported that cyclist deaths were set to double for that year and that pedestrian deaths were also on the rise. This is not surprising given the data and trends already discussed. At that time, the city was already in the process of widening cyclist and pedestrian paths, extending their reach, and bolstering safety features.
City Council member, Robert Grobe found a dead cyclist outside his home that year. When interviewed by local news, he had this to say, "[It] changed my life. When you find someone lying down in a pool of their own blood, their wife screaming at the top of their lungs, it tends to do something to you."
Since then, Grobe and other officials have committed themselves to working toward a meaningful solution to Houston's growing traffic death problem. This solution, everyone agrees must include greater awareness on the part of drivers of the more vulnerable travelers around them. If steeper penalties for poor alertness on the road have to be part of that solution, Grobe and others are ready to make that a reality.
Working for Safer Streets in Houston
Naturally, Houston's legal professionals have something to add to the solution. By working to defend the rights of pedestrians and cyclists, a strong message can be sent to careless motorists. Namely, you will be held responsible for the consequences of careless driving.
