Speed Zone Enforcement Budget Workshop Hays Co Constable

Speed Zone Enforcement Budget Workshop Hays Co. Constable, Pct. 4

A recent report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety states that there were 32, 719 fatal motor-vehicle crashes in the United States in 2013. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that motor vehicle crashes have a $871 billion economic and societal Impact on U. S. citizens annually, nearly $900 for each person living in the United States. The NHTSA study found that drunk driving, speeding, distracted driving, and lack of seatbelt usage were the major causes of injuries and deaths in motor-vehicle crashes.

• 246, 335 persons were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes. • Fatalities in traffic crashes in rural areas of the state accounted for 54. 52% of the state’s traffic fatalities. There were 1, 925 deaths in rural traffic crashes. • In 2015, there were 476 people killed in crashes involving distracted driving. • Based on reportable crashes in 2015: * 1 person was killed every 2 hours 29 minutes * 1 person was injured every 2 minutes 8 seconds * 1 reportable crash occurred every 61 seconds

With over 675, 000 total lane miles in Texas, the state leads in the amount of accessible roads available for its drivers. According to data collected from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, twice as many highway deaths occur in rural areas making them twice as dangerous as their urban counterparts.

HAYS COUNTY * Square Miles: 693. 5 (source: TX Assoc. of Counties) * County Road Miles (source: Tx. DOT) Total Centerline Miles: 273. 5 Total Lane Miles: 725 *Urban & Rural Population (source: 2010 US Census) Urban: 68. 29% Rural: 31. 71%

Hays County Census 1850 - 2010 Historical population Census Pop. %± 1850 387 — 1860 2, 126 449. 4% 1870 4, 088 92. 3% 1880 7, 555 84. 8% 1890 11, 352 50. 3% 1900 14, 142 24. 6% 1910 15, 518 9. 7% 1920 15, 920 2. 6% 1930 14, 915 − 6. 3% 1940 15, 349 2. 9% 1950 17, 840 16. 2% 1960 19, 934 11. 7% 1970 27, 642 38. 7% 1980 40, 594 46. 9% 1990 65, 614 61. 6% 2000 97, 589 48. 7% 2010 157, 127 61. 0% Est. 2015 194, 739 [20] 23. 9%

Fabiola Padron-Rivera, 35, and Minerva Diaz, 37, killed after crashing car into tree off of Fitzhugh Road near Dripping Springs, TX Fabiola Padron-Rivera, 35 Minerva Diaz, 37 Fabiola Padron-Rivera (1979 -2014)

Patsy Polzin, 79 Douglas Polzin, 58 Pablo Ramirez-Gonzales, 14

Mother’s Day crash kills 5 near Dripping Springs Ricky Dale Williams, 57 Caitlin Rene Smyth, 23 Kathy Lee Leverett, 62 Nancy Ann Clark, 82 Kyle Lee Alba, 25

After deadly Mother's Day, 2 more died in another crash Ephitafio Guest, 37 Kyle Ashleigh Martin, 31

1 dead, 3 seriously injured in Driftwood SUV crash Devin Dienst, 16 “The Texas Department of Public Safety said the teens were in a 1998 Ford Explorer that was driving at a high rate of speed just after 12 a. m. Wednesday. ”

DPS identify victims in U. S. 290 crash Ashley Marie Puente, 25 Richard Zavala, 34

Solutions?

A 2008 study conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute at A&M University tested five different “traffic-calming treatment methods”. Traffic-Calming Treatment Methods: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. “Rumble Strips“ “Speed Bumps" “Static Speed Limit Signs” “Aggressive Traffic Enforcement “ “Driver Feedback/Your Speed Signs" Source: Stopspeeders. org

“Your Speed” Sign

Tests repeatedly show that: • Speeders will slow down up to 80% of the time when alerted by a “Your Speed” sign. • Typical speed reductions are 10 -20%. • Overall compliance with the posted speed limit will go up by 3060%. • Again, radar speed signs are particularly effective at getting “super speeders”—speeders driving 20 mph or more over the posted speed limit—to slow down

WHY SO EFFECTIVE? Researchers suggest that the sign's effectiveness is due to the fact that, unlike static speed signs that are often ignored, “your speed” signs refocus driver attention on their own speed rather than on their personal evaluation of driving conditions.