(KEYE) - TxDOT billboards show the number of people being killed on Texas roadways is going up. In the last month 273 people have been killed driving in the Lone Star State, bringing the year-to-date total up to 2,058, a number prominently displayed on more than 700 electronic billboards across the state during the third week of every month.
In 2011, an average of 250 people were killed on Texas roadways each month.
This year? "There has been probably about a 12 percent increase in fatalities," said Carol Rawson, TxDOT Traffic Operations Division Director.
Rawson says factors include the state's population boom, with roughly 1,000 people moving to Texas every day, plus more and more crashes where more than one person is killed.
"A very large crash that was down in Victoria that had 23 people that were actually in the vehicle that got killed," said Rawson. "A large one up on I-20 outside the Tyler area that had five that were children."
And most of those deaths, says Rawson, are preventable.
Driver Jesse Mengden says he sees plenty of driving on the roadways that increases the risk of accidents.
"Changing lanes without signaling or changing lanes at the last second when they don't have room to do so, or otherwise being distracted," said driver Jesse Mengden.
Adds driver Daniel Edwards, "I see so many people driving down the road texting and driving. I think that attributes to a lot of accidents."
Rawson says distracted driving factors into 13 percent of fatal crashes, alcohol around 35 percent, but the biggest factor?
"Last year, over 46 percent of our fatalities is because people didn't put their seatbelt on."
Most commonly, she says, with pickup drivers. With teens, who make up close to 10 percent of those killed, the number one factor in fatal and injury crashes? Driving at night.
Austin Police statistics show I-35 is Austin's deadliest road, with 13 percent of this year's fatal crashes happening along the highway. Sunday is the deadliest day overall for crashes in Austin.
But 60 percent of roadway deaths happen outside city limits, so now TxDOT's focus is on two-lane rural roads.
"$1.2 billion was actually (what) the Legislature came forward with us to try and help widen those narrow roadways cause what do you think?" asked Rawson. "In the dark, narrow roadway, no edge line, higher speed. They run off the road."
"Until they pass a law that says texting and driving is against the law, we'll continue to see those accidents and possible deaths on the highway," said Edwards
"Pay attention to the road," said Mengden.
At the current rate, Texas is on track to surpass 2011 numbers for total number of deaths on the roadway.
Rawson told us that officers are now routinely subpoenaing phone records after fatal crashes to see if texting was a factor
