John Barton, P.E., Deputy Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation

1. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
TRAFFIC SAFETY
CONFERENCE
John A. Barton, P.E.
Deputy Executive Director
June 9, 2015

2. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Introduction
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Work with others to provide safe and
reliable transportation solutions for Texas
TxDOT Mission

3. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Fatalities and Fatal Crashes 2010-2014
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3,060 3,067
3,417 3,409
3,535
2,781 2,803
3,037 3,066
3,190
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Fatalities Fatal Crashes

4. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Factors Contributing to the Increase in Fatalities
Population Growth
 Texas has a population of 27 million, an increase of 1.8
million people since 2010
 More than 450,000 new Texans in 2014
 More than 24 million registered vehicles in the state
 More than 15 million licensed drivers
 Increase of 1.75 percent vehicle miles traveled (VMT)
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5. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Factors Contributing to the Increase in Fatalities
Increase in Vehicle Miles Traveled
 Statewide fatality rate: 1.42 deaths per 100 million VMT
 Increase of 2.16 percent from 2013
 Urban fatality rate: .93 deaths per 100 million VMT
 Rural fatality rate: 2.6 deaths per 100 million VMT
 The higher rural fatality rate is driven, in part, by the increases
of traffic and population in the oil/gas energy sectors.
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6. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Traffic Safety Collaborations in Communities Across Texas
 Education and Training
o Law enforcement officers
o Judges and prosecutors
o Employers
o Medical community
o Local traffic safety coalitions
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7. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Traffic Safety Collaborations in Communities Across Texas
 Education and Training
 Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP)
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8. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP)
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Statewide Mobilization
Texas participates in the National “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” mobilization in August and
September
In FY 2014, more than
$30 million in local, state
and federal grants went to
local law enforcement
agencies for STEP.
Statistics Additional Law Enforcement Description
These grants will provide
extra enforcement with a
focus on:
• Speeding
• Intersection violations
• Driving while intoxicated
• Child/safety belt
violations
• Distracted driving

9. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
STEP Citations and Arrests by Type
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Type of Arrest/Citation FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015
FY 2015
Targets
Child Safety Seat Citations 10,070 12,510 2,937 9,628
Commercial Motor Vehicle Citations 15,003 14,978 5,651 12,261
Distracted Driving 0 0 2,854 11,347
Driving Under the Influence by
Minors
113 135 49 1,013
DWI Arrests 8,377 8,698 2,606 11,448
Hazardous Moving Vehicle Citations 3,105 3,399 1,256 0
Intersection Traffic Control Citations 49,163 57,062 17,703 46,705
Other Arrests and Citations 94,650 107,379 37,043 0
Safety Belt Citations 51,932 67,834 14,162 48,342
Speeding Citations 276,826 325,389 114,143 312,541
Total, all Citations and Arrests: 509,239 597,384 198,404 453,285

10. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Traffic Safety Collaborations in Communities Across Texas
 Education and Training
 Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP)
 Crash Records Information System (CRIS)
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11. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Crash Records Information System (CRIS)
 Provides law enforcement and other safety professionals with
crash data for traffic safety planning
 Assists law enforcement in their traffic enforcement efforts
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12. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Crash Reporting and Analysis for Safer Highways (CRASH)
 Total CRASH Users by month: FY 2014
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13. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Crash Reporting and Analysis for Safer Highways (CRASH)
 Total CRASH Users by Month: FYTD 2015
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14. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Traffic Safety Collaborations in Communities Across Texas
 Education and Training
 Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP)
 Crash Records Information System (CRIS)
 Traffic Safety Outreach Events and Campaigns
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15. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Traffic Safety Outreach Events and Campaigns
• Safety/health fairs
• Child safety seat inspections
• Media events and interviews
• School presentations
• Presentations for local
organizations
• Safety/health events
• Local conferences
• National Night Out events
• Festivals, rallies, rodeos
• Car/bike shows
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16. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Child Passenger Safety
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Statewide Mobilization
 Child Passenger Safety Week occurs each year in September
Child Passenger Safety
 Child restraint usage rate
was 86.3% in 2014.
 Child restraint use varied
from a low of 74.0% in
Brownsville to a high of
96.5% in Austin.
 Inspected 1,579 child
safety seats
 Distributed 744 child
safety seats
 Each traffic safety
specialist is a child
passenger safety
technician
Statistics District Child Seat Program Districts at Work

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Traffic safety campaigns inform,
educate and change the attitudes
and behaviors of transportation
users so they make better safety
choices.
Traffic Safety Outreach Events and Campaigns

18. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
Click It or Ticket
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Statewide Mobilization
 Texas participates in the National Click it or Ticket mobilization conducted in May. As many as
70 additional law enforcement agencies participate in the mobilization
 Texas’ seat belt usage
rate was 90.74 % in 2014
 This was the 9th
consecutive year of
90 percent or greater
usage rate
 Texas is considered a
“high-use” state
 Only 76% of Texans used
seat belts when the
campaign started in 2002
Statistics Click it or Ticket Cost Savings
NHTSA estimates that the
Click It or Ticket initiative
in Texas has resulted in
4,317 fewer traffic
fatalities, 72,926 fewer
serious injuries, and a
savings to the state of
more than $16.7 billion in
associated costs.

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20. Traffic Safety Conference June 9, 2015
TRAFFIC SAFETY
CONFERENCE
John A. Barton, P.E.
Deputy Executive Director
June 9, 2015