The last day in Texas to go without someone dying in a roadway accident occurred on November 7, 2000. Since that day, at least one person has died due to a motor vehicle accident every day in the Lonestar State. According to the Austin American-Statesman, this 13-year streak of traffic fatalities totals the loss of over 45,000 individuals due to motor vehicle accidents due to a wide array of causes.
Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant Lonny Haschel sees three predominant reasons why so many fatal traffic accidents occur in Texas. “What we see are speed, failure to use seat belts and impaired driving.” In fact, almost one-third of the fatalities since the last day on record without a roadway death are connected to drivers operating a vehicle while under the influence.
California, which has a larger population than Texas, had its last day without a traffic death in September 2009. The state attributes this reduction in total traffic deaths to its use of over 2,000 sobriety checkpoints. In contrast, Texas has not used checkpoints since a state appeals court ruled in 1994 that the act violated the Texas Constitution due to lack of statewide guidelines.
On New Year’s Eve, 15 agencies were stationed across Central Texas with hopes of improving their safety efforts to catch drunk drivers, an initiative aptly called “Arrive Alive.” Individual cities in Texas also offered other initiatives to deter drivers from drinking and driving. This includes the public transit agency in Houston offering free service from the evening of New Year’s Eve into early New Year’s Day.
I Was Involved in a Drunk Driving Accident and I Need an Austin Injury Attorney
Driving while intoxicated (DWI) is a criminal act that Texas courts and judges take very seriously. As lifelong residents of the city, our Austin injury lawyers understand the local, state as well as federal laws regarding your rights after suffering injuries or the death of a loved one in a fatal car accident caused by the negligence of another.
Reach out to our firm today to receive a free consultation of your injury claim by calling (512) 474-8346. You can also leave us a comment on this blog or on our Facebook page, and someone will get back to you shortly.
Did You Know: According to the Austin Transportation Department, in 2012, the rate of fatal crashes in Austin was 1 in every 200 accidents.
The Law Offices of Aaron Allison – Austin Personal Injury Attorney
