AUSTIN (KXAN) — Officers with the Texas Division of Transportation stated they’re placing a face on drunk driving statistics.
It’s a part of Faces of Drunk Driving, a brand new statewide anti-drunk driving marketing campaign. Throughout an interactive public exhibit on Sixth Road in downtown Austin Thursday, the transportation company debuted the marketing campaign.
Officers on web site had a drunk driving simulator, which allowed those that had been out and about to expertise drunk goggles. Those that participated had been additionally requested to play cornhole whereas carrying the goggles to expertise how being impaired may have an effect.
TxDOT additionally offered $25 present playing cards for the rideshare firm Uber to those that appeared intoxicated Thursday evening.
The company reported one in 4 site visitors deaths on Texas roads final 12 months had been attributable to drunk drivers with over 25,000 drunk driving-related crashes — a rise of 9% when in comparison with 2020.
In Austin, officers stated there have been round 33 crashes with “no fatalities, only one severe harm,” stated TxDOT spokesperson Chris Bishop.
“This 12 months, there may very well be so much worse, and that’s why we wish individuals to concentrate. Plan earlier than you go.”
A DWI can price as much as $17,000 in fines and charges, in keeping with TxDOT.
This weekend, a number of legislation enforcement companies will probably be on the highway patrolling drivers together with the Texas Division of Public Security’s Freeway Patrol.
The company is launching two campaigns for Fourth of July weekend: Operation Vacation and Operation CARE.
Operation Vacation will run from Saturday by Monday. DPS stated its troopers will goal drivers who violate site visitors legal guidelines, together with those that are caught dashing, not carrying their seatbelts or driving whereas intoxicated.
Final 12 months, DPS reported there have been 55,776 citations and warnings issued throughout the Independence Day campaigns. The breakdown included 17,376 citations and warnings for dashing, 2,006 for individuals driving with out seat belts or baby security seats and 1,632 for individuals driving with out insurance coverage.
The state company additionally arrested 298 individuals for driving whereas intoxicated.
“Our nation’s freedom is one thing price celebrating, and I encourage everybody to do it in a accountable approach,” stated DPS Director Steven McCraw in a information launch. “This consists of being conscious of our state’s site visitors legal guidelines and being courteous of different drivers on the roads, so everybody can have vacation.”
Operation CARE (Crash Consciousness Discount Effort) begins Friday and lasts by Monday. The company stated this marketing campaign will focus “on decreasing crashes and violations of the state’s Transfer Over, Gradual Down legislation.”
For some perspective, DPS reported between Jan. 1 by June 7 of this 12 months there have been 4,135 Transfer Over, Gradual Down violations.
That’s the legislation that requires drivers to decelerate or transfer over when police, hearth, EMS, TxDOT autos or tow vans are stopped on the aspect of a highway with emergency lights.
