DPS urges caution on roadways this holiday season

TYLER — The Texas Department of Public Safety announced its annual Christmas and New Year’s holiday traffic enforcement campaigns will kick off on Wednesday. DPS Sgt. Jean Dark told KTBB,”We want to encourage motorist to obviously wear their seat belt wherever they are traveling, that is the law, both front and back seats. Pay attention to your speed limits, reduce your speed, especially when you are driving on unfamiliar roads.” East Texas had a busy weekend of fatal accidents, 3 in Smith County alone, and one in Rusk County. Dark continued, “Pay attention to warning signs, as far as construction, or curves that are coming up in the road. Really as far as some of the latest fatalities that we have had, people really just need to slow down and pay attention to what is going on out on the road. Maybe, just limit the number of distractions going on inside your vehicle.”

As part of two Operation Holiday initiatives, DPS Troopers will be increasing enforcement beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 23, through Saturday, Dec. 26, as well as Thursday, Dec. 31, through Friday, Jan. 1. Simultaneously, the nationwide Operation CARE (Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort) initiative will run from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3.

The goal of these efforts is to increase safety on Texas roads. DPS Troopers will be looking for drivers who violate the law, including those who are speeding, driving while intoxicated, failing to wear a seat belt, driving without insurance and not complying with the state’s Move Over, Slow Down law, among other traffic violations.

During DPS’ 2019 Christmas and New Year’s holiday enforcement efforts combined, a total of more than 169,000 warnings and citations were issued, including 15,786 speeding citations; 2,105 seat belt and child seat violations; 3,465 citations for driving without insurance; and 1,300 for violations of Move Over, Slow Down. Last year’s enforcement efforts also resulted in 787 DWI arrests, 609 felony arrests and 555 fugitive arrests.

DPS offers the following safety tips for the holiday season:

Don’t drink and drive. Make alternate plans if you are consuming alcohol.
Move Over or Slow Down for police, fire, EMS, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) vehicles and tow trucks stopped on the side of the road with emergency lights activated. Show the same courtesy to fellow drivers who are stopped on the side of the road. This year alone, between Jan. 1 and Dec. 8, DPS issued 12,457 warnings and citations for violations of this law.
Buckle up everyone in the vehicle — it’s the law.
Slow down, especially in bad weather, heavy traffic, unfamiliar areas or construction zones.
Eliminate distractions while driving, including the use of mobile devices. Texas law prohibits the use of portable wireless devices to read, write or send an electronic message unless the vehicle is stopped. Also, if you’re using a navigation device or app, have a passenger operate it, so you can keep your eyes on the road.
Drive defensively, as holiday travel can present additional challenges.
Don’t drive fatigued — allow plenty of time to reach your destination.
On multi-lane roadways, use the left lane for passing only. Not only is it courteous driving and avoids impeding traffic, Texas law requires slower traffic to keep to the right and to use the left lane for passing only (when posted).
If you can Steer It, Clear It: If you are involved in a non-injury crash and your vehicle can be moved, clear the traffic lanes to minimize traffic impact. Leaving vehicles in a traffic lane increases traffic congestion and leaves those involved with an increased risk of harm or a secondary wreck. On some highways, if you don’t move your vehicle when it’s safe to do so, it’s against the law.
Check your vehicle to make sure it is properly maintained and always ensure your cargo is secure.
Report road hazards or anything suspicious to the nearest law enforcement agency.
Monitor weather and road conditions wherever you are traveling. For road conditions and closures in Texas, visit Drive Texas.