Spotlight on You
Our Driving Concern celebrates driver and transportation safety through a unique awards program that highlights the accomplishments of Texas safety leaders. We’d like to recognize you for your commitment to keeping your employees, their family members and the communities where they live and work safe.
Submit your online application by Friday, March 15, to be considered for recognition in 2024: Our Driving Concern Texas Employer Traffic Safety Awards.
Each year, we produce a best practices brochure. We encourage you to review achievements submitted by our 2023 award winners so you will be prepared to shine a light on your own good work. For example:
- Employees at JR Ramon Demolition in San Antonio created safety banners, and one was selected to display each month. Winners received $100. The banners and accompanying employee commitment to safety helped reduce incident rates by 45% year over year.
- Safety leaders at Stewart Welding & Machine in Andrews noted zero auto crash losses out of 88 vehicles and about 1.32 million miles traveled during the 2021-2022 insurance policy year. Severe speeding events declined by 85%.
- City of Arlington department managers used fleet-tracking reports to correct driver behavior and address safety issues. The City’s crash costs declined by 50% from FY21 to FY22 ($227,008 to $124,196).
Like many of you, we consider the workplace a natural setting for distributing traffic safety messages and discussing driver behaviors — and it makes dollars and sense to do just that. By developing company policies, providing education and offering incentives, employers can save lives and save money.
You act as role models for others. We are thrilled to celebrate you as safety leaders!
Win the Big Game
With the big game right around the corner, now is the time to make big plans for Feb. 11 watch parties and safe football celebrations. Encourage everyone on your team to enjoy good food and good fun, and to make good memories with coworkers and loved ones. Follow up with this reminder: If you’re going out, plan ahead for a safe ride home.
That includes selecting a sober driver to serve as your road-safety quarterback. Be sure to throw a flag on anyone who gets behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or using other drugs. People who drive after drinking or using other drugs can make poor decisions and often are unable to react quickly. Vision and depth perception – skills necessary for safe driving – also can be altered.
In Texas, more than 1,100 people were killed in crashes where a driver was under the influence of alcohol in 2022, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. That’s more than three DUI-related traffic deaths every day.
Get free resources from TxDOT to help reduce impaired driving incidents, and target your public outreach efforts to football fanatics:
- Bilingual poster
- Mesh banners: English and Spanish
- 30-second video PSAs: Jessica and Andres
Download and display these impaired driving safety posters from our team:
- Clinking Glasses, Cars Crashing: When You Drink, Don’t Drive
- Glass Half-Full: When You Drink, Don’t Drive
Share social media graphics and text messages from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
If you’re hosting a gathering, offer non-alcoholic drink choices to your guests. Get recipes to make mocktails. Whether you plan to cheer for your favorite team, critique the halftime show or play big-game bingo, you win when you prioritize safety.