Houston TranStar’s It’s Only a White Line calls attention to the life-threatening chances drivers take every day when they step outside their vehicle on a freeway.
With only a thin white line of paint separating motorists from fast-moving traffic, educating people about the danger of leaving their cars and how to get help after experiencing car trouble saves lives.
With more than five million vehicles in its service area, TranStar has a strong commitment to motorist safety. It’s Only a White Line was established to prevent deaths of stranded motorists and pedestrians from secondary crashes within TranStar’s multi-county region.
Following a vehicle breakdown or fender bender, if your car or truck can be moved safely off the freeway, Texas law requires you drive to the nearest exit. If stranded, remain inside with your seatbelt buckled, move seats back as far as possible, and turn on the flashing hazard lights. TranStar’s free mobile app also makes it easy to call for a no cost Tow and Go™ service to get off the freeway quickly
Frequently Asked Questions
If your vehicle can be moved safely off the freeway, Texas law requires you to take the nearest exit and get to a safe place while waiting for help.
If you can’t move your vehicle, stay inside with your seatbelt buckled and hazard lights on. Call the Gulf Coast Regional Tow and Go™ Program at 713-881-3333. The no-cost service safely and quickly tows vehicles that have broken down on area freeways
Call 713-881-3333 for the no-cost Tow and Go™ program. It safely removes stranded vehicles from area freeways when they are out of gas, overheated, have a flat tire, etc.
If you’re hurt and need medical attention, call 9-1-1.
If you’ve been in a crash with no injuries and your vehicle can be safely driven, Texas law requires that everyone in the crash move off the freeway, including ramps and shoulders, to a safe place to share information.
If you’ve been in a crash and are hurt, call 9-1-1 for medical assistance.
If your vehicle won’t operate and no one is injured, stay inside with your seatbelt buckled and hazard lights on.
No. Insurance companies are concerned, most of all, about your personal safety. After a crash, it’s important for everyone involved to move off the freeway to share insurance information, take pictures, and wait for law enforcement.
Under Texas law, if your vehicle can be driven, even with a flat tire, you must take the nearest exit and get to a safe place. Your towing service can meet you there.
If you call your own towing service, it must arrive before law enforcement have authorized Tow and Go™ to take your vehicle to a safe place.
No. Only a thin white line of paint separates you from fast-moving traffic. Whenever a motorist stops or gets out of a vehicle on the freeway, they are putting themself and others at risk for serious injury or even death.
The shoulder of a freeway does not guarantee safety. If you can’t drive your vehicle off the freeway, stay buckled with your hazard lights on. Never try to run across the freeway.
Do not stop on the freeway or pull onto the shoulder lane to help. Exit the freeway and call Tow and Go™ at 713-881-3333 from a safe place.
Law Enforcement
Saving lives is a shared goal for both law enforcement and Houston TranStar.
Officers in the field are in a unique position to impact the success of It’s Only a White Line through enforcement of Texas’ Steer It Clear It and Move Over or Slow Down laws.
Whether incorporating valuable secondary crash data in incident reports or championing these important laws with stakeholders, law enforcement partners play a critical role in making this effort effective.
It’s Only a White Line has benefitted from the support of local law enforcement since inception of the campaign. To learn how your team can participate, contact Houston TranStar’s Public Information Office.
Quick Clearance
Every day, emergency responders risk their lives assisting stranded motorists.
It’s Only a White Line believes a universal application of and compliance with the Move Over or Slow Down law can reduce the risk of injury to tow operators and emergency responders from secondary incidents.
As key contributors to this public education effort, quick clearance personnel are uniquely positioned to help protect stranded motorists and tow operators by addressing common misconceptions related to Steer It Clear It and Move Over or Slow Down with residents and travelers.
To learn how to address such common misconceptions, download and print the education materials available on this site. You can also contact Houston TranStar’s Public Information Office with questions.
Medical Community
Since inception of the It’s Only a White Line campaign, members of the medical community have proudly participated in this public education effort.
In addition to preventing deaths of stranded motorists on freeways, It’s Only a White Line seeks to improve the documentation of stranded-motorist injuries in local emergency rooms and trauma centers. By collecting accurate information that notes when incidents are related to secondary crashes, we hope to assist the medical community in developing actionable prevention strategies.
To learn about how you and your medical institution can participate in this campaign, contact Houston TranStar’s Public Information Office.
