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Fight Against Distracted Driving

January 19th, 2010

A little more than 16 months ago, Jennifer Smith’s mother was driving to do volunteer work when a 20-year-old man ran a red light and hit her car. He was talking on a cellphone.

Smith’s mother, Linda Doyle of Oklahoma City, died hours later.

Ever since, Smith, a 35-year-old Grapevine resident, has been searching for ways to prevent what she calls the senseless deaths caused by distracted driving. On Tuesday, she found her outlet with the unveiling of FocusDriven, a national nonprofit organization that will push for bans on talking and texting while driving and work to raise awareness about the issue.

“Our vision is to prevent injuries and save lives by eliminating cellphone use while driving,” said Smith, the mother of two daughters. “Our mission is to support victims of cellphone distracted driving and families of victims by putting a human face on the disastrous impact of the behavior.”

The announcement at the U.S. Transportation Department’s headquarters comes as a separate national group says Texas has work to do to make its highways safer. A review released last week by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety rated Texas in the middle of the pack among states, with “numerous gaps” in its highway safety laws.

Among the group’s recommendation for the states is a ban on all drivers texting behind the wheel. Texas has limited texting restrictions covering drivers younger than 18, bus drivers, motorists in school zones and drivers who are transporting a child.

“Texas has progressed slowly on its own,” Smith said. “But we need to do more to get information out there.”

FocusDriven will be modeled after Mothers Against Drunk Driving. In addition to awareness and legislative efforts, FocusDriven will serve as a support organization for victims and families of victims. Smith will be president, with the first chapter based in Texas, but she hopes chapters will eventually spread across the country.

Source: dallasnews.com

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Steel Cables To Be Installed Along US Highway 190

December 29th, 2009

A new highway project will save lives, but it arrives too late for many victims who died because of a fatal flaw in the area’s busiest road.

A project will begin Jan. 4 to install 19 miles of reinforced steel cables that will prevent high-risk head-on collisions along U.S. Highway 190.

The $1.5 million project is part of an ongoing effort by the Texas Department of Transportation to save lives along U.S. 190. TxDOT installed cement barriers along U.S. 190 from Fort Hood to Copperas Cove in late 2008.

The cement barriers came too late for Leslie Spear. She died in June 2008 when a vehicle driven by a 23-year-old Fort Hood soldier crossed U.S. 190 into oncoming traffic. The Cadillac Deville struck Spear’s Ford Mustang. The accident also claimed the lives of the soldier and a passenger in Spear’s vehicle.

Much like the cement barriers, the cables are a long overdue fix to a flaw that exposes drivers to potentially fatal head-on collisions.

Cross-median accidents, though rare, provide an “exponential increase in serious injury or death,” Harker Heights Police Chief Mike Gentry said.

The cables could have contained the damages from a November crash that thrust one of Gentry’s officers into months of exhausting rehabilitation. Officer Jeremy Hempel was severely injured when his Geo Metro struck a deer, crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed into a Mazda 3 on Nov. 3.

Hempel’s accident is the latest in a long list of severe crashes. TxDOT and the Department of Public Safety do not keep numbers on cross-median collisions, but acknowledge the barrier is “necessary,” TxDOT spokesman Ken Roberts said.

TxDOT opted for steel cables instead of the cement barrier because the cables are the safer choice for roadways with wide medians, Roberts said.

The cement barriers stop vehicles, but cause more damage and risk for drivers. They work best with small medians that allow for little or no stopping distance.

With more median space, the cables and accompanying posts give gradually and catch the vehicle before it strikes oncoming traffic. The cable helps stabilize the vehicle.

“It’s not like sliding down a nice, soft rope. It is a steel-braided cable. It will bring the vehicle to a halt, but it’s not like running into a concrete barrier,” Roberts said.

The cable will force law enforcement officials to revamp traffic patrols since the cables will prevent them from crossing the median.

State troopers often position themselves opposite traffic to track speeders. When a speeder is found, troopers whirl their car around, cross the median and chase the speeder.

The cable will compel troopers to track speeders in the same direction they are positioned, Trooper Karl Pierce said.

TxDOT anticipates no lane closures during the project, which is expected to be finished by the summer. Warning signs will be posted alerting drivers to adjust their speeds and watch out for workers.

Roberts urges drivers to drive defensively so no one is injured during a project TxDOT hopes will reduce crashes and save lives.

Source: kdhnews.com

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Posted in Texas Auto News

Truck demand in Texas

September 5th, 2009

Deep in the heart of Texas, a Chevy dealership is almost empty of super-sized trucks and full of promise for the battered U.S. auto industry.

“Two months ago I had 80 of these, and now I only have a handful,” dealer Butch Watson said as he pointed to a few extended cab Silverado pickup trucks hulking in one corner of his lot near Dallas.

They say everything is bigger in Texas and pickup trucks are no exception.

Not only do they bulk up here — there are heftier “Texas editions” of some models such as the Chevrolet Silverado built by General Motors Co — but the state is also the world’s largest and richest single market for pickup trucks.

So analysts are scanning Texas for the first glimmer of recovery in truck sales that would give a much needed lift to U.S. automakers laid low by the global recession and last year’s historically high gas prices.

“Our pick-up sales are up 18 percent in the first eight months of this year,” said Watson, whose Chuck Fairbanks Chevrolet is one of the largest dealerships in north Texas.

Many of his sales for larger models such as one-ton trucks are to horse and cattle ranchers, Watson said.

Erich Merkle, an industry consultant at Autoconomy.com, said evidence from dealers and automakers points to the start of a recovery in both the economy and the truck market.

“The volume and where the recovery is going to come is in pickup trucks.” Merkle said. “Pickup trucks are not dead. They are far from dead in this country.”

Ford Motor Co, the longtime leader in pickup trucks, also has seen tentative signs that the worst is over. The automaker reported a monthly sales increase for its F-Series pickup trucks in August, the first in nearly three years.

Since pickup trucks are the staple vehicle in the U.S. construction industry, many analysts tie a rebound in sales to an uptick in spending on housing and infrastructure.

Source: reuters.com

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New Texas Law: No Texting & Talking On Cell Phones In School Zones

September 1st, 2009

A new Texas law goes into effect on Tuesday, which bans the use of cell phones in school zones.

To warn drivers, a number of cities in the area have been putting up signs regarding the new law.

In Sugar Land, Officer Brett Hayes says he and his fellow officers will be out on Tuesday morning, pulling over anyone they see talking on cell phones or texting as they drive through school zones.

“You don’t want to run over a kid because you’re text messaging on a cell phone,” said Officer Hayes.

The signs, which the city of Sugar Land paid for, have been up for weeks to let people know about the upcoming change.

“I think it’s good, very good,” said Rose Triola, who is a parent. “There are a lot of people that don’t pay attention while they’re driving with the cell phone on.”

In Sugar Land, there is a 10-day grace period for the new law.

On Tuesday officers will issue warnings. But after the grace period, they’ll start issuing tickets and fines, which could be as high as $200.

Source: khou.com

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Texas Toll Amnesty Campaign

September 1st, 2009

Monday marks the start of a program that offers drivers a break.

The Texas Department of Transportation kicks off its new toll amnesty campaign.

Drivers with outstanding toll accounts can receive 90 percent off of violation fees and fines if they pay all tolls in full.

One condition of the program is that people must open a TxTag account if they do not have one.

The goal of the program is to collect the $3 million owed for tolls on Loop 1, State Highway 130 and State Highway 45-North.

The offer does not apply to other violations received from other toll roads not operated by TxDOT.

The program ends on Nov. 30.

Source: news8austin.com

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Texas Highway Projects Get A Boost

August 30th, 2009

Looking for an upside to a seriously down economy? Here’s one: Texas will probably be able to do more road work with its $2.25 billion in federal stimulus highway and bridge funds than originally anticipated because highway construction costs have dropped.

So far, the Texas Department of Transportation has obligated about $1 billion, spread over 160 contracts in Texas, including jobs to repair rural highways and add new lanes or new roads in urban areas.

The winning bids have come in about $112 million under budget, and more savings are anticipated as bids on the remaining projects are accepted in the coming months.

“Commodity prices are falling, and there are a lot of contractors out there scrambling to keep their doors open,” said agency spokesman Chris Lippincott.

The savings mean that more projects local officials had hoped would win stimulus funds could get the transportation commission’s approval.

But the department has to hurry.

Congress set a March 2010 deadline for states to have all of their transportation funds obligated.

All the jobs have to be complete by February 2012.

To spend those savings quickly, the Texas Transportation Commission approved a list of priority projects across the state.

In the North region, which includes Dallas and Fort Worth, the savings so far have totaled about $15 million.

That’s not much compared to the enormous cost of many of the top priorities in Dallas and nearby cities.

But some projects approved by the commission Thursday appear ready to get a big boost should they receive the funding.

They include a $27 million Collin County project to widen U.S. Highway 380 from two lanes to four from Lavon Lake to Farmersville.

A plan to widen U.S. Highway 82 in Grayson County is expected to cost $9.3 million, but it would need just $4.8 million in stimulus funds to be built, a figure that could be covered by the expected savings from other, higher-priority projects already approved.

Source: dallasnews.com

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Changes In Texas Driving Laws

August 30th, 2009

Rules Of The Road

Seat belts: All vehicle occupants must be strapped in. Violations are subject to fines up to $200.

Child car seats: Any child younger than 8 – unless they are taller than 4 feet 9 inches – must be in a safety seat. Only warning tickets will be issued until June 1, after which fines of $25 will be imposed.

Cellphones: No one younger than 18 can use a cellphone while driving. No one of any age can use a cellphone in a school zone, unless it’s to make an emergency call, the vehicle is stopped or a hands-free device is used. Fines will be up to $200.

Insurance: Driving with a suspended license or without insurance gets more costly – up to 180 days in jail and fines up to $2,000. So does driving without a valid license or uninsured and causing injury or death in an accident – up to a year in jail and a maximum $4,000 fine.

Licensing: For those younger than 18, a driving skills test will become mandatory to get a license. Also, the prohibitions against driving from midnight to 5 a.m. or driving with more than one person younger than 21 (unless a family member) are extended from six months to one year after obtaining a license.

Motorcycles: Proof that a certified training course has been completed will be needed to get a license. No passengers younger than 5 can ride. Fines are $200.

DWI: Police can draw blood from drunken-driving suspects if records show a history of DWI offenses. Such drivers cannot refuse the tests.

Source: dallasnews.com

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Higher Speed Limits On Some Dallas Area Toll Roads

August 25th, 2009

NTTA has raised speed limits on many stretches of toll roads in North Texas.

Although the plan was to go into effect on Sept. 1, an alert Collin County motorist noticed over the weekend that some of the new speed limit signs are up already. On the President George Bush Turnpike, for example, the signs have been changed to 70 mph between Custer Road and U.S. 75. (The old speed limit, which drivers elargely ignored, was 55.)

Sherita Coffelt, spokeswoman for the NTTA, said the switchover began Friday.

She said once a sign is changed, drivers can adjust accordingly.

“The new speed limits go into effect as soon as signs go up,” she said in an e-mail.

Source: dallasnews.com

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TxDOT Toll Violation Recovery Plan

August 22nd, 2009

The Texas Department of Transportation is giving local toll violators a break worth over $60 million. But it won’t last long.

You have a choice when traveling around Austin. Sit in traffic along IH 35 or Mopac, or pay to zoom along on the toll roads. For some drivers, there’s only one way to go.

“I don’t mind paying a dollar here, a dollar there just to skip the traffic,” driver Korrin Weaver said.

That dollar could make this drive a little less painful because toll money goes toward local road improvements. But since the tolls on Loop 1, SH 130 and SH 45 opened, 140,000 users haven’t paid up. Together, they owe TxDOT $61 million.

“I don’t like it, but hopefully they can get some money and our roads can get a little better,” driver Todd Weaver said.

TxDOT hopes to get the money back under a new toll violation recovery plan. A portion of violation fees will be waived for 90 days starting August 31st.

“Ninety percent of the fees will be waived if you open up a TxTag account and you maintain a good balance on your account once you open it,” TxDOT Spokesperson Kelli Petras said.

You will still have to pay your outstanding tolls. If you don’t pay, TxDOT will take you to court. Court fees and fines can run up to $450.

“We need to get that revenue. We need to get that money so we can spend it on other TxDOT related things like roads, maintenance, construction,” Petras said.

Local drivers think the new plan is fair.

“That’s a good idea. It gives you more than enough time to pay the fees. If they give you 90 days and you don’t pay you deserve to go to court for it,” driver Patrick Schecht said.

The one time program starts August 31st and you will have until November 30th to pay your tolls off.

Source:  kvue.com

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State Law Changes To Way Blood Can Be Drawn From Suspected Drunk Drivers

August 22nd, 2009

A little known Texas law which goes into effect September 1, 2009 will dramatically change the way Texas law enforcement officers draw blood from suspected drunk drivers.

The way it stands now, a person involved in an accident will automatically have his or her blood drawn if they’re involved in an accident where there’s a death or serious bodily injury.  However, Senate Bill 328, which passed in the last Texas legislative session, means that anyone involved in a crash, whether they’re suspected of drunk driving or not and where there’s bodily injury, severe or not, or has a child in their car, or previous D.W.I. convictions, will have blood drawn automatically within a matter of minutes.

“I was just sick and tired of Texas law that allowed the defendant to destroy the very evidence that we need to protect society,” said John Bradley, the Williamson County District Attorney.

Currently police officers in Texas have to get a search warrant to draw a person’s blood.  Bradley says the process can take up to several hours.

Under S.B. 328 an officer doesn’t need a search warrant changing the blood drawing process from hours to a matter of minutes.

“Police officers are going to be saved a lot of time and energy and trouble in their D.W.I. investigations and be able to directly collect the most powerful evidence of intoxication which is the blood and the body of the drunk person,” added Bradley.

Source:  kvue.com

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Posted in Texas Auto News