About Vision Zero South Texas

Vision Zero South Texas is a grassroots traffic safety advocacy movement founded by Lance Hamm in 2018. The primary mission of Vision Zero South Texas is to promote positive change to the Texas roadway system with the goal to reduce traffic deaths, year-over-year.

Mr. Hamm is a passionate citizen traffic safety advocate. He is an airline pilot and a veteran U.S. Navy pilot (retired). He was a Risk Management Instructor for the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve, and is a current practitioner of Threat and Error Management.

Lance D. Hamm

From 2006 to 2018, Mr. Hamm advocated for traffic safety improvements at the local level in Kingsville, Texas, and in Kleberg and Nueces Counties in South Texas. He was successful at creating change within the local roadway system to improve traffic safety, including projects relating to school zones, work zones, clear zones, dangerous at-grade intersections, roadway illumination, and speed limits.

Mr. Hamm realized that many of the roadway safety issues in the local Kingsville area were also a problem throughout Texas. To discuss these issues, and in an effort to save lives on Texas roadways, Mr. Hamm tried for many years to get a phone call with the TxDOT Executive Director, Mr. Joe Weber, and then Mr. James Bass (upon his appointment in 2016). Finally, in the summer of 2018, Mr. Bass did better than just returning a phone call. Mr. Bass requested a sit-down meeting with Mr. Hamm at TxDOT Headquarters in Austin, Texas, and he officially transitioned from local advocacy to statewide. It was at this initial meeting with Mr. Bass that Mr. Hamm first presented his brief entitled: A Plan to Improve the Texas Traffic Safety System; The Need for a Statewide Transformational Change to Reduce Traffic Deaths Year Over Year. This plan (along with its highlighted critique of some TxDOT roadway engineering issues and its TxDOT and Texas Legislature recommendations for traffic safety improvements) has formed the foundation of this Vision Zero South Texas website.

To the leadership of TxDOT in July 2018, Mr. Hamm presented his “Plan” to reduce traffic deaths on Texas roadways. Left to Right: Mr. Bass, Mr. Hale, Mr. Hamm, and Mr. Haddington (Austin, Texas).

After subsequent meetings with Mr. Bass, along with his TxDOT management staff and Jay Blazek-Crossley (Director, Vision Zero Texas), Mr. Bass invited both Jay and Lance to be inaugural members of the TxDOT External Partner’s Work Group for System Safety to further discuss traffic safety issues and to offer recommendations for system improvement. Congratulations to Mr. Marc Williams as TxDOT’s newest CEO (summer of 2021). Vision Zero South Texas is very thankful to Mr. Williams, and his management team, for continuing the dialog since taking over as TxDOT’s CEO.

Upon request, Mr. Hamm provides presentations to community, professional, or governmental organizations relating to traffic safety, specializing in Threat and Error Management, Risk Management, Vehicle Speed Management, Clear Zone Principles, and Vision Zero Principles. As a part of his traffic safety advocacy, he continues to advocate in the presence of City, County, and State elected officials including the Texas House and Senate Committees on Transportation and the Texas Transportation Commission.

Mr. Hamm (second from right) advocating for red light cameras during “Public Comments” of the Texas Senate Committee on Transportation (Austin, 2019).
Mr. Hamm departing the podium after advocating for TxDOT to reduce their 70-75mph posted speed limits in work zones and on undivided roadways during the 16Nov2023 Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) meeting in Austin, Texas. (Seated L to R: Commission Clerk, Mr. Williams (TxDOT Executive Director), Mr. Bugg, Jr. (TTC Chair), and Commissioners: Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Meade III, and Mr. Alvis. Not pictured: Commission New.
Mr. Hamm advocating for TxDOT to reduce their 70-75mph posted speed limits in work zones and on undivided roadways during the 16Nov2023 Texas Transportation Commission meeting (Austin, TX).
Lance, along with other traffic safety advocates, marching from City Hall to the Texas Capitol (for victim remembrance and to promote awareness and change) at the Vision Zero Texas Vigil during the annual World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, sponsored by Vision Zero Texas and Central Texas Families for Safe Streets (Austin, Nov 2018).