NCTCOG, City of Fort Worth Partner to Launch Effort to Reduce Excessive Speeding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brian Wilson
 (817) 704-2511
bwilson@nctcog.org

90-day pilot project begins Aug. 1 along select Fort Worth corridors

Arlington, Texas – The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and the City of Fort Worth are launching an effort Aug. 1 to curb excessive speeding, which remains the top contributor to serious and fatal crashes in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. 

The effort is part of the Regional Transportation Council’s $57 million safety program, which allocated $7 million to efforts to reduce speeding.

As part of this new pilot program, the Fort Worth Police Department will increase enforcement on stretches of Loop 820 and Interstate Highway 30 from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. This timeframe represents when roadways are statistically among the most dangerous. 

To identify high-risk corridors, NCTCOG located roadways with speeds exceeding 80 mph and combined the results with roadway fatality statistics. NCTCOG then sought partnerships with enforcement agencies in areas with high instances of excessive speeding to test how an increase in police presence could improve safety. Fort Worth is the first city to partner with NCTCOG in this effort. 

The primary goal of the program is to improve safety by reducing speeding, crashes, injuries and fatalities. The pilot program will also provide valuable data as NCTCOG and the RTC seek opportunities to partner with other police departments across the region to improve overall safety.

"The Regional Transportation Council is committed to making our roadways safer through data-driven strategies and strong local partnerships,” said Natalie Bettger, senior program manager for congestion management and system operations at NCTCOG. “By working with the Fort Worth Police Department to increase enforcement along key corridors and when serious crashes are likeliest to happen, we're taking a proactive approach to reducing speeding, preventing crashes and ultimately saving lives.”

Driving too fast accounted for 34% of serious and fatal crashes on the region’s highways in 2025. The data is trending in a positive direction, with the 12-county Dallas-Fort Worth area experiencing a decline of approximately 15% in highway fatalities between 2023 and 2025. 

The Regional Transportation Council wants to continue this trend by implementing programs to make a positive impact of the safety of the region’s roadways. Fort Worth officials are ready to test the effectiveness of increased police presence on roadway safety. 

"The Fort Worth Police Department is proud to partner with the North Central Texas Council of Governments and Regional Transportation Council on this important safety initiative,” Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garcia said. “Targeted enforcement in high-risk corridors helps us address dangerous driving behaviors, while reinforcing our commitment to protecting everyone who travels on Fort Worth's roadways. We look forward to participating in this pilot program and using the results to enhance traffic safety across our community." 

The pilot program with Fort Worth will be evaluated after 90 days and adjusted where necessary. If successful in Fort Worth, this program could be expanded to other North Texas cities, ultimately making the roads safer throughout the region.

About the Regional Transportation Council: 
The Regional Transportation Council (RTC) of the North Central Texas Council of Governments has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) policymaking body for regional transportation planning in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1974. The MPO works in cooperation with the region’s transportation providers to address the complex transportation needs of the rapidly growing metropolitan area. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise counties. The RTC’s 45 members include local elected or appointed officials from the metropolitan area and representatives from each of the area’s transportation providers. 

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