MCSO Public Servie Announcement:
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office will join forces with other law enforcement agencies from around the state and nation to enhance the enforcement of DWI laws.
According to traffic safety experts, the daily death toll from drunk driving crashes during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period is significantly more than during the rest of the year. During December in Texas, on average, more that 2,400 alcohol-related traffic crashes occur, resulting in 80 fatalities on Texas roads and highways. (Estimates are based on an analysis of Texas CRIS data since 2003).
This year, in cooperation with TxDOT, Sheriff Tommy Gage has an important message for Texas drivers – don’t drive if you’re tipsy or buzzed; call a cab or get a sober ride home instead. With more people expected to be traveling on Montgomery County roadways this holiday, law enforcement will be out in force conducting patrols to find and arrest drunk drivers.
Overtime patrols will begin this week and will continue into the New Year. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office will have deputies specifically designated to enforce impaired driving laws. The overtime is funded by a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation.
DWI Facts
- In Texas during December 2008, more than 39,000 traffic crashes injured 20,000 people and killed 313 more. Alcohol was involved in 85 of those fatalities.
- The five-day period around Christmas in 2008, accounted for 65 percent of the alcohol-related fatalities in December.
- Of the 3,468 fatalities on Texas roads in 2008, 975 were the result of alcohol-related crashes. This makes alcohol a factor in 28 percent of the fatal crashes in Texas.
DWI Costs
Bail, fines, court costs, attorney fees, insurance rate hikes, surcharges to keep the driver’s license and probation costs aren’t on anyone’s wish list. A DWI arrest and conviction can cost between $5,000 and $24,000 or more.
Advice to Avoid a DWI: Let someone else take the reins.
Bottom line: Never get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking.
