TYLER, Texas — Sometimes driver find themselves in a rush, which can lead to the bad habit of speeding from place to place.
However, for the rest of the month of July, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has a campaign to raise awareness on the importance of slowing down. It's called, Be safe. Drive Smart.
"Speeding is 100% preventable. That's something you don't have to do," TxDOT Tyler spokesperson Jeff Williford said.
With a higher presence on social media, more signs placed near roadways, and an increase of law enforcement on the roads, TxDOT has one goal in mind– be safe and drive smart.
"It's a campaign to bring awareness, it's going to run through July, bringing awareness to how dangerous speeding in Texas can be," Williford said.
Safe driving practices are always something to emphasize, but speeding was the cause of more than 160,000 crashes in Texas, last year alone.
"We talk a lot about distracted driving, we talk a lot about driving under the influence. As important as those things are, the number one contributing factor in fatalities is speed," Williford said.
Here in East Texas, that’s no different.
"We have eight counties in East Texas and in 2023, 72 people passed away due to unsafe speeds. So there were so many fatalities. Again, it was our number one contributing factor. There were nearly 1,500 people throughout the state fatalities that occurred due to high speed or unsafe speed," Williford said.
So buckle up and slow down! It’s better to arrive safe but a few minutes late than potentially harming yourself or others on the road.