Inside the World of the DPS Troopers of San Angelo's Region 4

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Texas Department of Public Safety has an ongoing safety campaign called End the Streak.

The streak is this: In the state of Texas, not one day has passed since November of the year 2000 without someone being killed on a Texas Highway. That’s 17 years of fatalities every day.

As of December 1, for the year there have been 2,835 crashes with 3,134 fatalities.

Sergeant Justin Baker, Public Information Officer for the local DPS, leads with these statistics when he presents to audiences around the county.

Sergeant Baker has 15 years with DPS, 11 of those on highway patrol.

According to Baker, “The busiest days of the year for road travel are the day before, and the day after Thanksgiving. Christmas is on a Monday this year, making that weekend leading up to it heavy traffic days.”

“'Holiday Operations' describes the increased presence on the roads by our officers, but we’re interested in safety, and expecting voluntary compliance from motorist.”

“We want people to feel protected by us being there, and know that if something happens and you need help, we’ll be there.”

Highway coverage is divided into regions throughout the state. The San Angelo area is part of Texas Region 4.

“From Gaines County up north, to Terrell down south is about 408 miles. And from Reeves county to McCulloch is almost 300 miles. That’s more than 125,000 square miles.”

Officers live in major cities throughout Region 4 and dispatch from those areas.

"Still, a lot of the coverage area is remote, so you have to be prepared to take care of yourself until help arrives: blankets, water, flashlights, a first aid kit, etc.,” Baker said.

And don’t try to stretch your gas tank. “One stretch of road west from Ozona to Ft. Stockton is 110 miles of practically nothing.”

Along with the usual precautions of servicing your car and tires, there are hazards that are peculiar to Texas roadways.

“One of the most common hazards, on backroads especially, are deer, and as unpleasant as it might sound you brake your vehicle as fast as you can, but your best maneuver is to hit the deer head on.”

“The situation gets worse very quickly when you try to swerve. You’re going to be in a ditch, maybe turned over, or you could over-correct and lose control.

“And in spite of what people call rubber-necking, it’s the law to slow down through an accident area. The rule is also to “give a lane”, that is move to the lane away from the incident.”

“If you’re not able to give a lane you must slow to at least 20 mph below the posted speed.”

Speeding is always a problem, but you can also be ticketed for driving too slow.

“If you’re in a 70 mph zone and you’re driving 45 when there are no conditions that would make sense for that speed, you can be cited for impeding traffic.”

And not only is it legal to drive the shoulder of the road to let someone pass, but it’s considered a safety strategy since you’re not forcing a driver into the path of another car.

As to what a driver should expect when they are pulled over, “the trooper will tell you what he wants—license, insurance. And contrary to myth, you have to produce identification, or risk being detained.”

“If you are stopped, pull as far off the shoulder as possible. The officer is going to be standing near traffic and you need to give them space.”

One state trooper was killed this year as he stood at a driver’s car door.

In Texas our road signs say, “Drive Friendly.” That means doing what’s best for yourself and everyone else on the road.”