'Texas Road Watchers Tour' Comes To East Austin For Good Driving

EAST AUSTIN, TX — As part of its “Be Safe. Drive Smart.” campaign, the Texas Department of Transportation is launching the "Texas Road Watchers Tour" to encourage drivers to exercise better judgment and responsibility behind the wheel, with a stop planned in East Austin on Saturday.

The tour features the Texas Road Watchers interactive game of sorts visiting select Texas communities throughout the summer. In the interactive demonstration, participants essentially become backseat drivers in a simulated car experience designed to avoid crashes by identifying and changing unsafe driving behaviors.

TxDot officials call this a game, but it's deadly serious. There were 15,297 crashes last year in Austin alone that resulted in 74 fatalities and 537 serious injuries, according to TxDot officials. The interactive "game" is an effort to curb the scourge of bad — and often deadly — driving habits.

EVENT DETAILS AT A GLANCE

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 24

WHERE: Rodeo Austin, 9100 Decker Lake Rd.

>>> Image via Shutterstock