According to TxDOT, speeding is the number one contributing factor in traffic crashes in the state.
KATY, Texas — A summer safety campaign aimed at slowing drivers down made its final stop in Katy this weekend with volunteers from the Texas Department of Transportation setting up outside Buc-ee’s to drive home a serious message.
“We’re talking about speeding today, people are speeding and causing crashes, the number one reason in Texas,” volunteers told passersby, as they handed out educational materials and safety-themed giveaways.
The interactive event Sunday ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and included a virtual reality driving experience and safety quizzes, all part of TxDOT’s “Be Safe. Drive Smart.” campaign. The Katy stop marked the last leg of an eight-city tour across Texas.
According to TxDOT, speeding is the number one contributing factor in traffic crashes in the state. So far in 2025, Texas has recorded more than 158,000 speed-related crashes, resulting in 1,467 deaths.
In the Houston area alone, which includes Katy, there have been 50,504 speeding-related crashes this year, with 257 deaths and 1,247 serious injuries, according to the agency.
TxDOT launched the campaign as more drivers hit the road this summer.
It’s an issue KHOU 11 has also reported on before. Weeks earlier, KHOU 11’s Michelle Choi visited a neighborhood in the Fallbrook area where residents complained about dangerously fast drivers. Using a radar gun, we clocked vehicles traveling up to 65 miles per hour in a 20-mile-per-hour zone.
For 62-year-old Luis Hernandez, who commutes nearly two hours a day from Galveston, speeding is a constant concern.
“If you’re at the speed limit, people are right behind you trying to push you off the road,” Hernandez said.
Another driver, Mike Manshum, said a high-speed encounter happened on his way to the event with his young grandson.
“A truck went by us about 100 mph, and we were like, this is ridiculous,” Manshum said. “One wrong move, my wife and my daughter could lose everybody.”
Nancy Cheak-Zamora, who was traveling with her husband and two young sons, said safety is always top of mind when her family is on the road. She said she’s grateful for TxDOT’s efforts to educate the public.
“Think about slowing down and making sure you and your family and other people’s families are safe,” she said. “Just be a kind driver, as you would a kind person in the world.”