Is 55 miles per hour truly the best speed to go? What is the two second rule? Luckily for Tom, Carol and Ben their friend is an officer with the Texas Department of Public Safety who can explain the answers to them. The officer – fondly called "Professor" by his friends – explains the best rules for vehicular safety, backing up his advice with solid examples. In the end the "professors" friends are won over by his advice, and for those without a friend in the Texas DPS, "Flow Facts" can still fill that role.
Established by the Texas Legislature on August 10, 1935, the Texas Department of Public Safety was created by the consolidation of the Texas Highway Motor Patrol with the Texas Rangers. Since that time, its duties have grown to include such activities as the state licensing of drivers, vehicle inspection, narcotics enforcement, and the State Civil Defense Office, (now the Division of Emergency Management,) which aids local governments during times of natural disaster or social upheaval. While its duties have evolved over time, the mission of the DPS has remained constant - to provide public safety services to those people in the state of Texas by enforcing laws, administering regulatory programs, managing records, educating the public, and managing emergencies, both directly and through interaction with other agencies.