Bill > HB5300

This bill creates a comprehensive highway safety initiative called the Dr. Michael James Babineaux Act, which establishes a High Injury Network Project managed by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute to identify and address the most dangerous road segments in the state. The project will develop an interactive map ranking public roadway segments based on the total cost of traffic crashes over five years, and require the Texas Department of Transportation to create intervention strategies for the highest-ranking road segments in rural and urban districts. The bill allows the department to partner with local governments to implement various safety improvements on these high-risk road segments, such as adaptive signal timing, highway safety corridors, temporary design improvements, and other proven safety measures. The legislation also introduces the concept of highway safety corridors, which can be designated on road segments with high crash rates, and imposes enhanced penalties by doubling fines for traffic offenses committed within these corridors. Additionally, the bill permits variable speed limits on high-injury network roadways if an engineering investigation determines that such limits could reduce deaths and serious injuries. The goal is to systematically improve road safety by using data-driven approaches and providing local governments with tools to address dangerous road conditions.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB5300