TxDOT Urges Texans to Avoid a DWI This Labor Day

23. Aug, 2010 0 Comments

Officers Work Overtime During Statewide Drunk Driving Crackdown

AUSTIN, TX — The Texas Department of Transportation, police departments, and sheriff’s offices across
Texas are working together to reduce impaired driving this summer and especially during the upcoming
Labor Day weekend. TxDOT is illustrating the choice between getting a sober ride or risking a DWI by
driving after drinking with an arresting image—unique vehicles that are a police patrol car on the front end
and a taxi cab on the back end.
“The only way to be sure you’ll avoid a DWI is by never getting behind the wheel after drinking
alcohol,” said Carol Rawson, TxDOT’s Traffic Operations Division Director. “We’re reminding Texans that
there are many options they can choose for getting home that don’t include drinking and driving.”
The “Choose Your Ride” effort will incorporate modified patrol cars from police departments and
sheriff’s offices in communities with a high incidence of alcohol-related fatalities. TxDOT will also run new
television spots, radio ads, billboards, wall postings, web and mobile phone ads along with targeted
messages in major market bar and restaurant districts. Traditional and alternative media efforts will raise
awareness of the consequences of a DWI conviction and the alternatives available to Texans: calling a
cab, designating a sober driver ahead of time, using public transportation, staying put, calling a friend or
family member for a ride, taking a pedicab, and more.
From August 20 to September 6, law enforcement statewide will be working overtime to find and
arrest impaired drivers.
“Last year during the two-week crackdown, officers around the state worked nearly 18,000
combined hours of overtime specifically looking for intoxicated drivers,” said Commander Stephen Baker of
the Austin Police Department. “If we pull you over and you’ve been drinking, you’re going to be arrested.”
Convicted first-time DWI offenders can pay a fine of up to $2,000, lose their driver’s license for up
to a year, and serve 180 days in jail. Safety officials say other costs associated with an impaired driving
arrest and conviction can add up to more than $17,000 for bail, legal fees, court appearances, courtordered
classes, vehicle insurance increases, and other expenses.
Of course, the consequences of driving under the influence can be much worst. In 2009, there were
27,108 alcohol-related crashes in Texas that resulted in 955 deaths and 17,542 injuries (preliminary data).
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and hundreds of local law
enforcement agencies are participating in the annual Drink, Drive, Go to Jail campaign to reduce drunk
driving on Texas roads.