'Human Billboards' Will Soon Be Strapped To Backs In This Busy Texas City

Billboards will soon be strapped to the backs of Texas Department of Transportation employees in Austin. KXAN reported that the yellow signs will have phrases like "Braking News" and "Wait for the Signal."

The human billboards campaign kicks off in Austin in hopes of lowering pedestrian fatalities.

Last year in the Austin area, there were 453 traffic crashes involving pedestrians. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, this resulted in 61 fatalities and 108 serious injuries.

TxDOT spokesperson Chris Bishop said, "Pedestrians are the most vulnerable. They’re the least protected, and the ones that we really want to get people’s focus on right now."

TxDOT says that leading factors resulting in pedestrian fatalities include:

• pedestrians not stopping for cars
• drivers not paying attention
• drivers not stopping for pedestrians
• drivers going too fast
• both drivers and pedestrians being under the influence of alcohol

The human billboards will be in Austin on Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30.