Shining Safety Stars
Some Texas employers use in-vehicle monitoring systems to collect vehicle data and report on driver behavior. Others have developed driving scorecards or conducted observational studies to better understand traffic patterns and implement safety solutions. The common denominator that links all 12 winners of the 2022 Our Driving Concern Texas Employer Traffic Safety awards is an unwavering commitment to safety.
All 12 employers embrace driver and transportation safety and the ideal of keeping their employees and others safe on Texas roads. This year, four employers modeled exceptional behavior to earn “Exemplary” distinction. They promoted traffic safety at work, while encouraging employees to carry that message home to their family members.
The safety efforts of all 12 recipients are captured in this best-practice brochure for other Texas employers to emulate. The recipients realize what happens at work affects every aspect of life. They are not only safety leaders, but also community leaders.
“These employers are the epitome of achievement in the field of employee education and transportation safety training,” said DeAnn Crane, a program manager with the National Safety Council. “Clearly, they are determined to keep pushing toward the ultimate goal of zero – zero crashes, zero injuries and zero fatalities.”
Since 2014, Texas Employer Traffic Safety Awards have been presented annually by the National Safety Council and the Texas Department of Transportation. This year’s recipient list reads like a Who’s Who of safety:
Exemplary Award Recipients
- Indeca Crude Xpress
- Northside Independent School District
- Pioneer Natural Resources
- Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Award Recipients
- City of Arlington
- City of Austin Public Works
- City of Irving
- City of Waco
- CPS Energy
- El Paso Municipal Court
- Klein Independent School District
- Renegade Wireless Services
The 12 recipients were honored during a presentation July 28 at the Texas A&M Traffic Safety Conference in College Station. Watch: The safety efforts of the award winners are celebrated in this new video!
Ring the Safety Bell
Back to School.
When you see that three-word headline this time of year, you think of moms and dads shopping for supplies at big-box stores and kids returning to classes. You also should think of how you can keep your employees safe on the roads as traffic increases.
Whether fleet vehicle drivers or commuters, they will encounter more pedestrians, more bicycles and more school buses every morning and afternoon. Share these safety tips on your bulletin board or via electronic communications (including internal newsletters and intranet postings):
For Drivers
- Slow down in school zones and obey all traffic laws
- Silence your phone and set your GPS before you depart to drive distraction-free
- When driving in neighborhoods or school zones, be alert for kids
For Parents
- Help children learn to be safe, whether they are walking or biking to school or waiting at the bus stop, and share this infographic: Alarming Dangers in School Zones
- Support getting-to-school-safely activities in your community, and get tips to build a “walking school bus”
- Be a role model of safety: Always buckle your seat belt
- Watch for school buses: Slow down for yellow flashing lights, stop for red flashing lights
Use our free Safety Huddle to refresh everyone on the importance of safety in intersections. Print and display these free resources:
- Co-pilot rights: Prevent driver distraction
- Crosswalk safety: Give Pedestrians a Brake
- Vintage seat belt safety: Let’s get together for safety
- One Road, One Goal: Safety tips for drivers
- One Road, One Goal: Safety tips for pedestrians
- Distracted walking: Attention = Prevention
Get free materials from the Texas Department of Transportation, including a poster: Drive Smart. Keep Kids Safe.
Turn “Back to School” into a headline for safety at your location. The first bell rings any day now.
Welcome, Katie
Please join us in welcoming Katie Mueller to our team! Katie takes the reins as senior program manager for the Our Driving Concern Texas Employer Traffic Safety Program following the departure of Cindy Leonard. Katie has specialized in developing and implementing evidence-based countermeasure programs to bolster transportation safety for more than 20 years.
She joined the National Safety Council in 2021 and previously worked in the Impairment Practice Area as the subject matter expert for cannabis. She still serves on the Coalition for Cannabinoid Science and Safety, as well as the NSC Alcohol, Drugs & Impairment Division.
Prior to NSC, Katie worked as assistant director in the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, a division of the Department of Public Safety. She has served as a member of the Governors Highway Safety Association Strategic Communications Committee, chair of the Oklahoma Occupant Protection Assessment Committee and delegate for the NHTSA Region 6 Committee on Best Practice in Impaired Driving Adjudication.
Katie also spent time as state director for Safe Kids Oklahoma and in pediatric injury prevention and education at The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center. She has a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications and lives and works near Oklahoma City.