People accused of failing to yield in crashes involving injuries will now have to appear in court rather than just paying a fine, Austin Transportation Department officials announced Tuesday.
Before the change, those accused of failing to yield to a pedestrian or another driver on the road could pay a citation online or at Municipal Court. Now, people will have to review their case with a prosecutor, transportation officials said.
The change in how failure-to-yield cases are handled aligns with the city’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and injuries, transportation officials said.
The maximum fine for failing to yield also will be raised to $4,000.
“Failure to yield is one of the top four contributing factors in serious injury and fatal crashes in Austin,” Austin Transportation Director Robert Spillar said in a statement. Failure to yield was a contributing factor in 16% of fatal and serious injury crashes last year, he said.
“Crashes of all types caused by failure to yield forever change the lives of the people involved, as well as their family members and friends,” Spillar said.
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