Texas A&M University Kingsville

KINGSVILLE, TEXAS (News Release) — The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has chosen Texas A&M-Kingsville to host their Distracted Driving Campaign Talk. Text. Crash. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at the Pavilion at the Memorial Student Union Building.

Texas A&M-Kingsville was the first choice for a college campus tour of the campaign during April. During April, Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the exhibit will travel across the state encouraging everyone to pay attention behind the wheel.

“Student Health and Wellness is excited that TAMUK was TxDOT’s first choice to conduct the Talk. Text. Crash. campaign. This important event will educate the university community about safety and personal responsibility,” said JoElda Castillo Alaniz, assistant dean of students for student wellbeing.

The Talk. Text. Crash. event features interactive activities like a distracted driving simulator that gives participants a real-life sense of how attempting to multitask behind the week makes it impossible to drive safely. There also will be distracted driving goggles, an information wall and a table for messaging.

Distracted driving killed nearly 400 and seriously injured 2,700 more in Texas in 2023. These deadly crashes are entirely preventable and that is why TxDOT has launched an educational campaign to remind drivers everywhere to pay attention behind the wheel.

“Any loss of life is tragic, but imagine killing or seriously injuring someone else because you thought you could text and drive at the same time,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. “When you’re behind the wheel, you need to be focused on only one thing: driving. Looking at your phone, eating or adjusting your music can wait until you’re safely parked.”

It is important to remember that texting while driving also is a crime. If someone is caught reading, writing or sending a text while driving in Texas, they can face a fine of up to $200 and many cities outlaw any use of a handheld device while driving.

TxDOT’s Talk. Text. Crash. Distracted Driving Awareness campaign is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel to help end the streak of daily deaths. The last deathless day on Texas roadways was Nov. 7, 2000.

A representative from U in the Driver Seat, a peer-to-peer program led by students and developed through the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) will join TxDOT at the event.