Center for Transportation Safety

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Teens in the Driver Seat® to Encourage Safe Interactions for Texas Teens and Large Trucks

Respect the Rig outreach campaign banner: Give them room (heavy equals long stopping distance); Pass on the left (stay to the far left and pass quickly and safely); Know the no zones (large blind spots); Watch for debris (with 18 tires there is a higher likelihood of blowouts); and Rural road danger (most crashes occur here).

“Respect the Rig” outreach campaign banner

In the past three years, commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes have increased in Texas by 29 percent in the Permian Basin and 55 percent in the Eagle Ford Shale regions. Between 2011 and 2012, such crashes involved an estimated 2,006 drivers under the age of 26.

In response to the increase in crashes concurrent with the oil and gas boom, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) put out a high-priority call for proposals to address the issue of novice driver safety around large vehicles (e.g., commercial vehicles and buses).

Learn more about how TTI’s Youth Transportation Safety Program through its Teens in the Driver Seat® (TDS) program is combating this latest trend with a web-based, hands-on outreach campaign called “Respect the Rig”.