October 18, 2019 • EPE Related News
'All of us need to be aware.' El Paso pedestrian safety campaign begins after deaths
'All of us need to be aware.' El Paso pedestrian safety campaign begins after deaths
A young girl held a sign stating "Please keep us safe" at the launch of a pedestrian safety campaign Thursday morning amid a rash of deadly traffic accidents in El Paso.
Even while the pedestrian safety event was taking place, a man was seriously injured when he was hit by a pickup while trying to cross Alameda Avenue, miles away in Ysleta.
The campaign was planned prior to the recent deaths of 7-year-old girl killed in a school-zone crosswalk and a 13-year-old boy hit by a pickup while riding a foot scooter.
"Everyone has a part to do, with everyone doing their part we can make a difference," El Paso Police Assistant Chief Victor Zarur said.
Drivers need to put away cellphones and other distractions, pedestrians should use crosswalks and families and friends should not allow drunken persons to get behind the wheel, Zarur said.
Traffic enforcement is a priority for police but staffing is limited, Zarur added.
"The focus is not just what we (the El Paso Police Department) are doing as an agency but what we are all doing as a community," Zarur said.
The campaign calls for increased awareness and common-sense safety measures from drivers, pedestrians and children ahead of Halloween and the end of daylight savings time on Nov. 3.
Halloween traditionally has a large number of trick-or-treating children in neighborhoods and it gets darker earlier with the end of daylight savings time.
The Thursday event included a crosswalk demonstration by children at O’Shea Keleher Elementary School in the far East Side. This is the second year of the campaign, organized by the Texas Department of Transportation, El Paso Police Department, Socorro Independent School District and El Paso Electric.
The campaign includes thousands of reflective slap wristbands being given away at El Paso police stations to highlight safety for children and other pedestrians.
Safety advocates also remind pedestrians to not walk on the street, use sidewalks and take special care at night by wearing bright-colored clothing and clip-on reflectors, which can be placed on children's backpacks.
In El Paso this year, there have been 54 traffic-related deaths, including 24 pedestrians compared with 21 pedestrians a year ago, Zarur said.
Two children are among those who died this month.
On the morning of Oct. 9, 7-year-old Alexa Barrera was struck by an SUV and killed on a crosswalk while walking to school at Oran Roberts Elementary on the West Side.
On the night Oct. 15, 13-year-old Brian Velasquez riding a foot scooter when he was hit by a pickup and killed while attempting to cross Dyer Street in Northeast El Paso.
Alexa and Brian attended schools in the El Paso Independent School District but their deaths are felt across the city, officials said.
"Our hearts are heavy," said José Espinoza, superintendent of the Socorro Independent School District.
"The main point is all of us need to be vigilant," Espinoza said. "And all of us need to be aware."
Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.
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