• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Jobs
  • Pressroom
  • MyTTI
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SlideShare
  • RSS

Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Saving Lives, Time and Resources.

  • About TTI
    • Overview
    • Academic Partners
    • Advisory Council
    • Hall of Honor
    • History
    • Sponsors
    • Leadership
  • Focus Areas
    • Connected Transportation
    • Economics
    • Environment
    • Freight
    • Human Interaction
    • Infrastructure
    • Mobility
    • Planning and Operations
    • Policy
    • Safety
    • Security
    • Workforce Development
  • Facilities
    • Connected Transportation
    • Infrastructure
    • Safety
    • Environment
    • Traffic Operations
    • Maps
  • Home
  • Centers
    • National
    • State
  • People
    • People Search
    • Directory
    • Featured Researchers
    • TTI Staff External Awards and Committees
  • Publications
    • Catalog Search
    • Texas Transportation Researcher
You are here: Home / News / Fatal Crashes Involving College-Aged Drivers up in Bexar County

Fatal Crashes Involving College-Aged Drivers up in Bexar County

April 1, 2016

Impaired Driving Prevention Symposium | March 31- April 2. UDS logoU in the Driver Seat Annual Symposium Focuses on Prevention

The U in the Driver Seat (UDS) program at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is holding its annual Peer-to-Peer Impaired Driving Prevention Symposium at Texas A&M University–San Antonio March 31–April 2, 2016 in the Central Academic Building, room 402. Statewide statistics from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) between 2010 and 2015 indicate that crash-related deaths of young drivers (aged 18–24) driving under the influence ranged consistently from 190 to 200 deaths per year. In 2014, the statewide count rose to 220. In 2015, Bexar County alone saw a 30 percent increase in the fatality count over previous years.

“TTI is taking the lead in helping keep our college students safe on the roadway,” says John Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “UDS is helping save young Texans by educating them about the dangers of driving under the influence. We are pleased that seven of our system universities are taking part in this growing program.”

In addition to their peers from other Texas colleges, representatives from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Texas A&M University–Kingsville, Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M University–San Antonio, West Texas A&M University and Texas A&M International University will come together to raise awareness of the consequences of driving under the influence.

“The statewide statistics bear out that college-aged drivers are dying unnecessarily on Texas highways,” states Russell Henk, manager of TTI’s Youth Transportation Safety Program. “Our annual symposium informs students about how impairment can negatively impact their driving skills and aims to improve those statistics by changing behaviors.”

The symposium will feature speakers, breakout sessions, and interactive activities targeted at convincing college-aged drivers in the San Antonio area and around the state of Texas that they have the power to lower those statistics — in effect, to save their own lives and the lives of other drivers and passengers on the road. Breakout sessions will, for example, address how students can take the lead on their local campuses to positively influence their peers and debunk myths associated with drugs and alcohol and their effects on drivers.

“I’m proud that Texas A&M–San Antonio is hosting this year’s symposium,” says U.S. Congressman Will Hurd, who represents Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. “The A&M System has a strong tradition of public service and I’m glad to see them tackle this important topic for our state. Programs such as U in the Driver Seat educate our young people by providing them with the information they need to protect themselves and their peers.”

Started in 2012, UDS promotes peer-to-peer education on the risks of impaired driving by giving college students tools and information to educate one another about the dangers of driving impaired. Each program is unique to the college where it’s located. UDS does not follow any set curriculum, which provides students the opportunity to personalize the program to their collegiate cultures and environments. Despite this diversity of application, the UDS program has one ultimate goal — to reduce the number of college students involved in car crashes. For more information, please visit http://www.u-driver.com/.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: News Tagged With: TTI, U in the Driver Seat, UDS

  • The State of Texas
  • Texas Homeland Security
  • Texas Veterans Portal
  • State Expenditure Database
  • Statewide Search
  • State Auditor’s Office Hotline
  • TAMUS Risk, Fraud & Misconduct Hotline
  • Site Policies
  • Open Records Policy
  • Statutorily Required Reports
  • TTI Rules
  • Veterans
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Jobs
Member of the Texas A&M University System

© 2018 Copyright Statement / Legal Notices and Policies

Comments, suggestions, or queries? Contact us!

Texas A&M Transportation Institute · Texas A&M University System · 3135 TAMU · College Station, Texas 77843-3135

(979) 845-1713 · (979) 845-9356 (FAX)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.