TxDOT campaigns to stop spring break DUI crashes

A traveling “not-so-fun house” geared toward drunken driving prevention is visiting popular spring break spots this month as part of a statewide campaign encouraging people to drive sober.

The Texas Department of Transportation has partnered with campusbased U in the Drive Seat and student leaders for the “Drive Sober. No Regrets.” campaign to spread awareness of the effects of driving while drunk, a news release announced.

More than 800 alcoholrelated traffic crashes occurred during the 2022 spring break season in Texas, a state crash report shows. These crashes killed 44 people and seriously injured 90 people.

“Every death due to drunk driving is preventable,” Marc Williams, TxDOT’s executive director, said in a statement.

The transportation department plans to show the consequences of driving while drunk during its “DUI Not So Fun House” and video exhibit which will stop at college campuses and key spring break locations. The exhibit lets people experience the effects of alcohol and the dangers of driving while impaired.

“We want students to understand that it’s easy to celebrate spring break safely,” Williams said. “By finding a sober ride, taking a cab, using a rideshare or simply staying put after drinking, students can make sure their families gather for graduation and not a funeral.”

In 2022, more alcoholrelated DUI crashes were reported between 2 and 2:59 a.m. than any other hour of the day, according to the department’s website. Most of the crashes happened on Saturdays.

More than half of alcohol-related crashes during spring break involved drivers between the ages of 17 and 30.

The campaign is also part of the #EndTheStreakTX initiative, which is a social media hashtag promoting safe driving to help end the streak of daily deaths.

Forbes Advisor ranked Texas as the second worst for not only drunken drivers involved in fatal crashes but also the percentage of traffic deaths caused by those driving under the influence of alcohol.

In the Houston area, for example, a person was killed and three were injured after a high-speed, possibly alcohol-related crash in northwest Harris County. Another person was killed in Houston after a possibly drunk driver crashed into another vehicle on a stretch of Bellaire Boulevard in Asiatown. Both crashes happened in 2022.