This article reports on a three-year-old air quality campaign involving a series of public service ads that are being aired under the name of "Drive Clean Across Texas" (DCAT). It is the result of a partnership between the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The team developing the campaign for TxDOT and TCEQ was the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). Nine areas in Texas are either at or near non-attainment for critical ozone levels, which are a major cause of smog and are a health irritant. Since 2002, the Federal Highway Administration and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) have allocated about $7.5 million in an 80/20 Federal/state split. Three 30-second TV spots have been developed, as well as a series of billboards, print ads and press releases. Survey results from 2003 show that 25 percent of Texans recognize the campaign and know some basic details. And 6 percent said that the messages convinced them to take action to reduce their contributions to the emission burden.
Abstract