Drive Clean Across Texas

The state of Texas has nine regions that do not meet, or barely meet, Federal Clean Air Quality Standards. In order to address this issue, in 2002 the state of Texas launched the nation's first statewide outreach and education campaign designed to reduce air pollution from personal vehicle emissions.

The Drive Clean Across Texas campaign relies on public outreach, media relations, and public education to educate Texans about the consequences of air pollution, establish a link between traffic and air pollution, and communicate specifically what Texans can do to reduce vehicle-related air pollution. While the campaign is statewide, special emphasis is directed towards the nine non-attainment or near non-attainment areas in the state. The campaign also targets schools by providing free bilingual educational information for teachers and displaying booths at teacher conferences.

The campaign provides five primary actions that individuals can take to reduce air pollution: (1) Maintain your vehicle; (2) Drive less; (3) Buy a "cleaner" vehicle; (4) Drive the speed limit: (5) Reduce idling.

The goal of this program is to inspire changes in driving behavior that will help clean up the air in Texas.

Every two years, Drive Clean Across Texas conducts a statewide survey to quantify the effectiveness and success of the program. The latest survey results show that nearly 70 percent of those who were aware of the Drive Clean Across Texas message have adopted at least one of the behavioral changes.