Distracted Driving Crashes Drop in Texas

Distracted driving ranks as the second-top calls of crashes on Texas roads right behind speeding.

Last year alone, it sparked over 86,000 crashes, nearly 300 deaths and more than 2,400 serious injuries.

But here's the bright side, those numbers are heading down.

TXDOT reports a 3% drop in distracted driving fatalities from 2021 through 2025, with crashes falling even more.

At 8%, officials credit their awareness pushes, interviews, and citywide campaigns for turning the tide.

Think about 6-year-old Misao Rico, whose world flipped when a driver texting while parking,

mistook the gas for the brakes and plowed into him and, his mom on the sidewalk,

she shattered her foot.

I landed in a 3-month coma, endured over 20 surgeries, and battled through a full-year physical therapy.

Doctors gave up on him surviving, let alone driving, but Rico calls it a miracle.

Now in college, he's training to become a physical therapist to pay it forward

from that nightmare 15 years back.

This month, TXDOT rode out the Talk.Tex.Crash campaign for distracted driving awareness month,

building on efforts like, drive like a, Texan to keep pushing safer roads ahead.

I'm Cory with the story, and you've been listening to El Paso News today, AI-powered local news.