According to figures from the Texas Department of Transportation that go back to 2013, about 40 people on average are killed in crashes around the state over the Labor Day weekend.
News 88.7 talked about it with Daniel Armbruster from AAA Texas.
“The Labor Day Holiday actually ranks up near what we see over the New Year’s holiday, which is of course a holiday when we often see DWI and drunk driving crashes,” said Armbruster
There are other factors behind those high numbers.
“Alcohol and impaired driving is only part of the problem,” added Armbruster. “We also know that distracted driving is a major problem in the state of Texas.”
In Harris County, authorities are conducting a “No Refusal” weekend to target drunk drivers. Anyone who refuses a breath test will be taken in for an immediate blood draw.
Police say they’re also looking for speeders and people who don’t have their kids properly restrained.
Fatal crashes due to distracted driving are on the rise in some major Texas counties including Harris & Dallas. See how you can prevent them: https://t.co/uO07iw4BrG #DontDriveIntexticated pic.twitter.com/WyS44epmiy
— AAA Texas (@AAATexas) August 15, 2018
“I’m tired of standing over dead babies and other dead people in this county,” says Vehicular Crimes Chief Sean Teare. “Every time my phone rings at 3:00 in the morning and I have to go out to one of these I start to think about how I can stop it.” https://t.co/GTOMrvsq2k
— Gail Delaughter (@Gail_HPM) August 22, 2018