TxDOT is reminding Texas drivers to drive safely after a new report showed 20% of traffic deaths in the state involved pedestrians and bicyclists. 

The Texas Department of Transportation is reminding drivers to slow down and follow driving laws after a new report found one in five traffic deaths involve pedestrians and cyclists.

In 2021, 841 people died in pedestrian road accidents, and 92 people died in crashes involving bicyclists, accounting for 20% of the nearly 4,500 fatalities on Texas roads, reported TxDOT in a news release.

As a result of these statistics, the department started a "Be Safe. Drive Smart." campaign to spread the word about safer driving, according to the TxDOT website, explaining the campaign is part of an online movement using the hashtag #EndtheStreakTX on social media in an effort to end the streak of daily deaths on Texas roadways.

The last day on Texas roads without a traffic death occurred on Nov. 7, 2000 -- almost 22 years ago, the agency stated.

“Year after year, we’re seeing fatalities from traffic crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists climb,” TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams stated in a press release. “Each of us has a shared responsibility to help reverse this trend. Whether you’re behind the wheel, on foot or riding a bicycle, we’re asking all Texans to be safe and smart, and that starts with obeying traffic laws.”

TxDOT launched the campaign on Sept. 1 -- the anniversary of the Lisa Torry Smith Act, which went into effect last year, according to Senate Bill 1055. The law was named after a Texas mom who was struck and killed in a crosswalk nearly five years ago while walking her then 6-year-old son to school.

The new law required drivers to stop and yield the right of way to people on crosswalks. Drivers who fail to stop and yield and cause serious injury to someone on a crosswalk can face criminal penalties, according to the bill.

According to TxDOT, Texas law states if you’re driving:

If you’re riding a bike: