The stretch of the year that Texas is entering now has been the most dangerous for people on foot, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, which is asking drivers to watch more closely for pedestrians as evenings get darker.
In a statewide release Monday, TxDOT said vehicles killed 694 people who were walking on Texas roads in 2025. Close to 20% of those deaths happened in October and November, the two months that also had the most crashes involving pedestrians all year.
Darkness is a common thread. The agency said 68% of last year's pedestrian deaths and serious injuries in Texas happened at night. Pedestrian deaths fell 10% from 2024 to 2025, but people walking still accounted for 18% of all traffic deaths in the state, according to TxDOT.
The shift back to standard time on Sunday, Nov. 1, will move sunset earlier and put more evening commutes in the dark, which TxDOT pointed to as a reason to be careful now.
"People walking are already at greater risk when they are near traffic," TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said in the release. "But when you add low visibility at night, that risk increases."
Street teams through November
Through October and November, the agency says it will send out street teams of people wearing walking billboards with pedestrian safety tips, focusing on places across the state where drivers and pedestrians share the road. The campaign runs under TxDOT's "Be Safe. Drive Smart." message.
