Jessica Amaya 
PHARR- The Texas Department of Transportation hosted a press conference on Wednesday, October 5 to discuss their End-of-the-Streak Campaign.
The End-of-the-Streak Campaign aims at ending daily fatal crashes on the Texas road by conducting surveys and evaluations on traffic accidents. Pedro Alvarez, the district engineer for the Texas department of transportation, said the Texas population has grown significantly.
According to Alvarez, in 1970, 350,000 people lived in the Rio Grande Valley, and that number has since grown to 1.5 million.
“People choose to take that risk and to me that’s unacceptable. Why are we taking a risk? Why are you choosing to potentially be involved in an accident or fatality and your kids are not going to be able to see you that day or you’re not going to get to see your mom or dad, think about that,” said Alvarez.
The Texas Department of Transportation takes every fatality seriously and investigates the potential causes. TXDOT said they have reduced speed limits across Texas after surveying and evaluating roads on a daily basis.
Sergeant, Maria Montalvo said the four main reasons contributing to fatalities on the road are driving over the speed limit, not buckling up, driving intoxicated, and distracted driving.
“One of our strategic goals in Texas is to save lives and property. So, if it means us putting our lives on the line, we will continue to do it because it is so obvious, we still have a lot of work to do,” said Montalvo.
Alvarez advises people to not drink and drive, instead calling an uber, friend, or family member is recommended.
