HOUSTON – In a new Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) public service announcement, country singer Parker McCollum urges Texas drivers to stop speeding.
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The Conroe native is featured in the passenger seat of a car, strumming his guitar.
“You’ve been driving way too fast and I’ve been thinking that you need to slow down,” the country icon sings, causing the driver to pledge never to speed again.
Over 160,000 speed-related accidents happened in Texas last year, with speeding being the number one factor that causes car-crash fatalities in the state.
In Houston alone, 50,504 crashes occurred in 2024 because of speeding, which resulted in 257 deaths and 1,247 serious injuries.
The “Be Safe. Drive Smart” public service campaign seeks to decrease these numbers both by urging the public to correct their behavior and by increasing the enforcement of road laws. From July 18 through August 3, officers will be focusing their attention on drivers speeding on Texas’ roadways, issuing more tickets, and patrolling Texas’ streets for longer hours
The risk of a car crash grows when motorists drive too fast, as the distance you need to stop to avoid a crash increases the faster you drive. To prevent a collision, the Texas Department of Transportation recommends that drivers:
- Match your speed to road conditions.
- Slow down and allow for more distance to stop when traffic is heavy, roads are slick or road construction is ahead.
- Watch for road signs alerting you of reduced speed limits.
- Remember that traffic fines double if you speed in a school zone or a work zone when workers are present.
By urging Texans to follow speed limits and increasing law enforcement’s focus on speeding as a public issue, the Texas Department of Transportation (with the help of country superstar Parker McCollum) hopes to decrease car-crash-related fatalities in Houston and Texas as a whole. With 35% of all traffic crash fatalities in the state being linked to speeding, these efforts could make a real impact on the safety of Texas’ drivers.
“Speeding is not an accident, it’s a choice,” TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said. “When you choose to drive even just a little over the speed limit, you’re not only risking your own life, you’re risking the lives of every other person on the road with you and that’s not being a good Texan.”
