HOUSTON – Labor Day is just around the corner, and we can’t tell you how to spend it but we will remind you to have a plan if you’re going to be drinking.
Traveling for Labor Day weekend? Have a back-up plan for cancellations and delays, and be patient
That’s why TxDOT and the Houston Police Department (along with other local law enforcement) are launching its “Drive Safe. No Regrets” campaign to prevent drunk driving across the state.
In 2023, TxDOT says there was an average of 65 alcohol-related crashes every day on Texas roadways and an average of three deaths per day stemming from those crashes. Additionally, there were 334 DUI-alcohol-related traffic crashes in our state over the Labor Day holiday weekend, resulting in 14 fatalities and 35 serious injuries.
From Aug. 16 through September 2nd, more patrol officers will be on the streets, aiming to reduce the number of crashes, injuries, and deaths across Texas. TxDOT also adds “Beyond the possibility of taking a life – including your own – driving impaired and getting a DWI can result in time-consuming legal hassles and fines and fees up to $17,000.”
Don’t forget! Houston Restaurant Weeks 2024, running from August 1st through Labor Day
The “Drive Safe. Drive Sober” campaign is part of #EndTheStreakTX, which TxDOT says is a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort encouraging drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel to help end the streak of daily deaths. The last deathless day on Texas roadways, TxDot adds, was on Nov. 7, 2000.
“Every drunk driving fatality is preventable, plain and simple,” TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said in a press statement. “If you plan to celebrate Labor Day by drinking, make sure you arrange a sober ride using a rideshare, taxi, public transit, or a designated driver.”