A national truck drivers association is funding billboards to warn drivers about consenting to roadside searches by police.

"Our members are like most people; they don't know they have a constitutional right to say 'no' when an officer asks to search" their vehicle, said American Drivers Association (ADA) President J.D. Davis, whose association represents 86,000 members.

The ADA recently paid for a billboard along Interstate 20 in Texas that reads: "Just say no to vehicle searches. Protecting your rights. American Drivers Association." Davis said he hopes to erect billboards on every Texas interstate by year's end.

Police may only search a vehicle if they have the driver's permission or probable cause to believe a crime is being committed; however, many drivers are unaware that they may legally refuse an officer's request.

Last year, police confiscated 21 tons of marijuana during almost 11,000 vehicle searches in Texas, the Dallas Morning News reported.

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