Roadside patrols at your service in Houston
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Roadside patrols at your service in Houston

5/22/25

By Danny Perez

A flat tire, running out of gas or an overheating vehicle on a major freeway can raise most anyone’s anxiety level at any time. Add to that a high volume of traffic on a busy roadway, and it can also create a very dangerous situation. This is where a program such as the Harris County Motorist Assistance Program (MAP) comes in to save the day.

MAP is a free program designed to assist broken down motorists on all area freeways in Harris County Monday through Friday, day and night (excluding certain holidays). Funding for the program, which began in 1986, is provided through the Federal Highway Administration, Texas Department of Transportation and the Houston-Galveston Area Council.

Currently, 15 Harris County Sheriff’s Deputies are assigned to patrol freeways in Harris County, and they assist with:

  • Changing a flat tire (provided the motorist has the proper equipment)
  • Supply fuel, water and/or air
  • Jump start vehicles
  • Assist with minor engine repair
  • Remove stranded vehicles from roadway
  • Provide courtesy transport of stranded motorist to a safe location

The MAP program can also help clear freeways of minor crashes and stalls. This includes working with the Houston area Tow and Go program, to clear certain disabled vehicles off the freeway to a safe location nearby at no cost to drivers. MAP deputies also work with incident management to address emergency issues on the freeway system. Last year, the MAP program conducted 28,660 assists on Houston area freeways.

These team members also answer calls for service and conduct freeway monitoring to track stranded motorists, crashes, road debris and other hazards, and weather impacts.

“Our MAP units are everyday heroes,” said Harris County Sheriff’s Roadway Management Section and MAP Section Commander Lt. Terry Garza. “By getting disabled vehicles moved quickly, (this) prevents secondary crashes and saves lives.”

In the Houston area, motorists can contact MAP by calling 713-CALL-MAP (713-225-5627).

In other parts of the state including Austin, El Paso, Midland and San Antonio, TxDOT offers the Highway Emergency Response Operator (HERO) program, which is a free roadside assistance program. The program helps to make Texas roadways a safer place to travel by clearing incidents faster on the road to prevent crashes. HEROs can change flat tires, gas up vehicles, remove debris from roadways, and assist at crash scenes. More information on the program can be found at txdot.gov.