Be Safe. Do Better for every transport method.
It was a deadly week in DFW. From dramatic train electrical fires to airborne car crashes, people moving about their day from point A to point B recently didn't always make it.
Better safety for transit and road users should be a primary objective for the constituents and leaders of every transportation modality in the metro area. There is plenty of room to grow no matter how you choose to get around, we're all in this together.
Trains
Wednesday afternoon a DART train caught fire after what appears to have been an electrical fire. Scenes of passengers running for safety amid showering sparks are alarming and not something that any transit rider should expect when they entrust DART with getting them to their destination.
An investigation is only just starting and it is encouraging that DART and NTSB are working together to gather as much information as possible by leaving the train in place over the weekend. Once the causes of this accident are known it could provide an impetus for renewed focus and collaboration between the DART board, DART leadership and operators after the distraction of what has been an extended, and rather fruitless, dispute from some member cities about funding for more than a year.
There may also be opportunity for DART to reinforce its own internal focus on safety as a core value. Many other transit systems from Atlanta to Chicago to New York have safety as a part of their mission statement and making operating and public safety a core part of that could be one way to signal renewed focus in this area.
Automobiles
Many riders may drive to a park-and-ride, or fill in gaps in transit coverage with a car. Although car accidents can fade into the background as a constant scourge, it is important to work on improvement in this area as well.
Two more visible crashes from this week include a fatality in the Wolf Creek neighborhood of Dallas when an airborne car flew into two houses early on Sunday morning and on Friday morning a car plunged from an overpass.
According to TxDOT of the 35,854 crashes to date in Collin or Dallas County available on their Query Builder Tool, speed was involved in 8,885 and alcohol or drugs in 1,598. Preventing a higher body count beyond the 168 crashes involving at least one fatality this year may be impossible but please watch out for other drivers and yourself on the road.
Feet & Two Wheels
Another group to keep in mind is the most vulnerable of this list - pedestrians and cyclists. TxDOT has reports thus far in 2025 in our area of 735 crashes involving this population with 49 involving at least one fatality. In addition to the decisions of those involved in these crashes there are many larger design and funding choices that affect these sad statistics.
Not providing complete coverage of sidewalks and convenient marked crosswalks, especially around transit, is an obvious menace to people who may have no other way of getting around. Even crosswalk timing is often insufficient given the outdated walking speed guidance of 3.5 feet per second. This is too much to expect from many adults much less children, seniors, or people with disabilities. Putting a pedestrian in the middle of a 6 lane road when the light changes isn't what anyone intended but these guidelines make it the outcome that we choose in new intersections and new deaths every day across the country.
If you would like to learn more about the difficulties faced by pedestrians and what innovative approaches we can work towards locally, join our DATA Book Club. We're finishing up Right of Way by Agnie Schmitt on Sunday August 17th and all are welcome - stay safe out there and demand safety for our communities.