Trauma

Driver Responsibility Program Supports Texas’ Trauma System - 04/07/2017

As you are aware, the Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) was established to help support and fund the Texas trauma system. The program targets repeat offenders and unsafe drivers and penalizes those bad drivers with surcharges. These surcharges go into Account 5111, the Designated Trauma Facility and Emergency Medical Services Account, and the general revenue account. The funds derived from the surcharges are then used to offset the cost of uncompensated trauma care.

Ending Driver Responsibility Program Would Harm Trauma System - 04/05/2017

A strong trauma system in Texas is vital to the overall health of the state. Trauma is the leading cause of death for Texans under age 44. There are more than 117,000 trauma incidents in Texas each year. These include motor vehicle crashes, falls, assaults, and firearm injuries. Automobile accidents are the leading cause of traumatic injury in Texas for children and adults, and Texas leads the nation in the number of individuals driving under the influence. DRP is an indispensable part of this strong trauma care system. Driver Responsibility Program (DRP) is the leading source of state funding for the Texas trauma system, contributing $75 million-$80 million per year. To maintain Texas’ low trauma mortality rate (2.79 percent, a full percentage point lower than the national average), trauma funding must be preserved.

Historic Journal Details Medical Response to UT Sniper Attack - 08/02/2016

Fifty years to the day after a deadly sniper attack at The University of Texas (UT) shattered the midday calm of summer on campus, an archived edition of the Texas Medical Association’s Texas Medicine magazine details the emergency medical response to the rampage.

Don’t Repeal Driver’s Responsibility Program - 06/17/2016

On behalf of the Texas Medical Association (TMA), thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on House bills 104 and 790, which would repeal the Driver Responsibility Program (DRP). The preservation of this program is essential to the provision of trauma care and emergency services across the state, especially in rural and frontier areas of Texas. DRP penalizes unsafe drivers who cause the majority of traumatic injuries and holds them responsible for their actions. Drivers who obey traffic laws and drive safely receive no penalty; the program is designed to penalize those who put the public at risk. While we acknowledge that the program has caused hardship for low-income drivers who have accrued penalties, eliminating statewide funding would undermine a trauma system on which all Texans depend and shift the financial burden for trauma care to local taxpayers and the privately insured.