Deadly crashes have climbed sharply across the Brazos Valley in recent weeks, the Texas Department of Transportation said Friday, as the agency asked drivers to slow down and keep their attention on the road.
From the start of the year through Oct. 1, 78 people died in crashes on roads in TxDOT's Bryan District, according to Ashley Hill, the district's deputy district engineer. Twenty of those deaths came in the most recent 60 days, Hill said, which is more than a quarter of the year's total.
"These are more than just statistics. They are people's family and friends," Hill said. "We need everyone's help to reverse this trend."
The district takes in 10 counties: Brazos, Burleson, Freestone, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Milam, Robertson, Walker and Washington.
What TxDOT points to
The agency said a handful of factors show up again and again in the district's fatal wrecks: vehicles leaving their lane, people riding without a seat belt, speeding and distracted driving.
Hill said that because driving is part of daily life, people tend to lose sight of how dangerous it can be, and asked residents to approach each trip with care.
