Program Description
The Regional Smoking Vehicle Program (RSVP) is designed to inform vehicle owners their vehicle may be creating excessive smoke and emitting pollutants, which are harmful to our health and environment. RSVP allows North Central Texans to report vehicles in our area emitting visible pollution, which is in violation of the State's Smoking Vehicle Statute. This Statute defines a smoking vehicle as one which emits smoke for 10 or more consecutive seconds and/or whose suspended smoke does not fully dissipate within 10 seconds. Once these vehicles are reported, the vehicle owners are notified through literature provided by the North Central Texas Council of Governments of possible emission problems they may be unaware of in order to take corrective action. This helpful literature includes local solutions to vehicle emissions problems.
Letters are mailed to registered owners of suspected smoking vehicles, stating their vehicle was reported anonymously for emitting excessive visible emissions (smoke). The letters include brochures explaining RSVP, and the AirCheckTexas Drive a Clean Machine Program. Vehicles registered in the North Central Texas designated nonattainment region may qualify for $600 in financial assistance toward emissions-related repairs. Recipients of smoking vehicle notification letters are encouraged to visit www.nctcog.org/airchecktexas or call 1-800-898-9103 for more information on how to qualify for financial assistance. A survey is also mailed to the registered vehicle owner within 30 days of the first notice inquiring what type of action the owner took to rectify the problem, if one existed.
The easiest way to report a smoking vehicle is to use the online form at www.smokingvehicle.net. Citizens may also call #SMOKE (#76653) from most wireless phones. Most wireless service providers have made the abbreviated phone number, #SMOKE (#76653), available to their customers free of airtime charges.
Land line users may access the vehicle reporting service by dialing metro (817) 704-2522.
Motorists may be ticketed for driving a smoking vehicle on Texas roadways. Under Texas law, all motor vehicles, including diesels, are prohibited from emitting visible exhaust emissions for more than ten (10) consecutive seconds. Texas law enforcement agencies may issue citations, punishable by fines up to $1000, to drivers operating a smoking vehicle on public roadways.
Staff
Shannon Stevenson, Program Manager
Amanda Brimmer, Principal Transportation Planner
Richard McComb, Air Quality Operations Analyst III
Implementation Area
The North Central Texas sixteen-county metropolitan region, encompassing Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, Tarrant and Wise counties.
Foundation For Support
House Bill 2134 passed by the 77th Texas Legislature; House Bill 1611 passed by the 79th Texas Legislature; Transportation Code, Title 6, 547.605; the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ); the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG); the North Texas Clean Air Coalition; and participating counties.
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