Christopher J. Marier

Less traffic enforcement could mean more traffic deaths in Austin, city audit finds

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Christopher Marier
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Less traffic enforcement by law enforcement may have caused the number of fatal traffic incidents to increase in Austin in recent years, according to an audit released by the city last week.

In addition to looking at Austin, auditors looked at the resources of Dallas, San Antonio and Seattle, and found that each city has seen a reduction in the number of traffic citations over the past few years and an increase in the number of traffic deaths.

These findings come as Austin and the three other cities continue to face staffing shortages in their police departments. Auditors also noted that there were fewer crashes and deaths during the deployment of Texas Department of Public Safety troopers earlier this year.

Full story: Less traffic enforcement could mean more traffic deaths in Austin, city audit finds

Comments

One response to “Less traffic enforcement could mean more traffic deaths in Austin, city audit finds”

  1. Jirah Montgomery

    It seems to me that there’s a need for a comprehensive approach to traffic safety. Chacon did identity the staffing shortages and the need to prioritize traffic stops, but I feel as if its necessary to look at the bigger picture. Maybe investing in infrastructure improvements, putting effective traffic calming measures in place, and even increasing educational efforts that are centered around safe driving practices. It’s also important to address underlying factors that can result in traffic collisions, like distractions such as cell phones and reckless behavior. Addressing the underlying issues can help prevent traffic fatalities and collisions in the long term!

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