REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL URGES DFW DRIVERS TO PRIORITIZE SAFETY DURING SAFE STREETS WEEK
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brian Wilson
817-704-2511
bwilson@nctcog.org
RTC’s $57 million safety investment and innovative speed pilot program lead effort to eliminate DFW traffic fatalities
Arlington, Teas) – In recognition of Safe Streets Week (Nov. 9-15) and the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (Nov. 15), the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) is reinforcing its commitment to ending fatalities on North Texas roadways by 2050. November 7, 2000, was the last day Texas went without a traffic fatality.
Statistics show the region is making significant progress. Since 2023, fatalities and fatality crashes are down 14% in Dallas- Fort Worth, according to figures compiled by The Texas Department of Transportation. But there’s work to do to reach the lofty goal of zero fatalities by 2050. One way to stay focused on this goal is to set aside weeks to recognize safety.
The RTC is also highlighting Crash Responder Safety Week (Nov. 2-6), recognizing the emergency personnel, law enforcement officers, tow truck operators and roadside assistance teams who risk their lives daily on area roadways.
According to regional transportation safety data, speeding and unsafe driver behaviors remain the leading contributing factors in traffic crashes across the 12-county Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. In response, the RTC and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Transportation Department are advancing targeted engineering, policy and public education initiatives aimed at creating a safer, more reliable transportation system.
At the core of this regional safety strategy is the $57 million Regional Transportation Council Safety Program – a funding allocation that supports local governments, law enforcement agencies and transportation partners across the region to implement high-impact safety countermeasures. The program funds critical infrastructure improvements, enhanced speed enforcement, traffic incident management tools and public outreach aimed directly at curbing high-risk driving behaviors such as driver distraction and speeding.
Speeding continues to be the single highest contributing factor in severe and fatal crashes across North Texas. In 2025, speeding accounted for 34% of serious and fatal crashes on the region’s highways.
To help curb high-speed crashes, the NCTCOG Transportation Department and RTC partnered with the Fort Worth Police Department on a data-driven speed pilot program in which police enforcement is increased on Loop 820 and Interstate Highway 30 from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. – statistically the most dangerous hours on area roadways. The primary goal is to slow down drivers, prevent collisions and reduce injuries. Launched in August, the pilot program will also provide valuable data as the NCTCOG Transportation Department and the RTC seek opportunities to partner with other police departments across the region to improve overall safety.
Education and public awareness remain crucial components of this safe streets strategy. These initiatives include:
- Drive Aware North Texas: Developed by the NCTCOG Transportation Department, Drive Aware North Texas is a dedicated educational campaign designed to correct negative driving behaviors, such as speeding, distracted driving, tailgating and aggressive lane changes, that cause most local serious injury crashes. Read more at DriveAwareNTX.org.
- Look Out Texans: Focused on multimodal roadway safety, the Look Out Texans campaign provides guidance for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. The program emphasizes mutual respect and shared responsibility on the road and offers nearly two dozen tips - including proper crosswalk usage, cyclist lane positioning, hand signals and nighttime visibility measures - to keep all community members safe. For more information, visit LookOutTexans.org.
Honoring Road Traffic Victims and Emergency Responders
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Nov. 15 serves as a somber reminder of the human cost of traffic crashes. The Transportation Department and the RTC join families, advocates and regional partners in honoring those who have lost their lives or suffered life-altering injuries on area streets.
Additionally, during Crash Responder Safety Week (Nov. 2–6), the Transportation Department and RTC urge all drivers to honor the state's "Move Over, Slow Down" law when approaching stopped emergency vehicles, tow trucks, or maintenance crews operating on the roadside.
"Speeding and unsafe driving behaviors remain primary factors in serious crashes across North Texas," said Natalie Bettger, senior program manager of congestion management and system operations at NCTCOG. "By pairing our data-driven speed pilot program with regional initiatives like Look Out Texans and Drive Aware North Texas, the Regional Transportation Council is committed to identifying high-risk corridors, lowering speeds and safeguarding all road users.”
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. More information can be found at NCTCOG.org/rtc.
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