Category: Impaired Driving – TxDOT

 

Read this article about an innovative approach by Responsibility.org to educate and change attitudes among 21 – 35 year old drivers through an interactive learning experience in which impaired drivers share the life changing consequences of their DWIs.

 

Texans love football season but getting home safe is more important than who wins the game! Please see this article from Inside TxDot concerning how to plan for a fun game and a safe ride home!

The CDC recently published this important article about impaired driving.

Please see this article concerning impaired driving by teens.

For current information about drunk driving statistics please read this article!

NHTSA has released a new report analyzing eight impaired driving enforcement case studies from around the country, including one from Austin, Texas. The report finds that the eight programs studied are notable because they all “are characterized by sustained, high visibility, special impaired driving enforcement activity and all are supported by vigorous publicity and education campaigns.”

A new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that wrong-way driving deaths have risen substantially since 2004. Between 2015 and 2018, an average of 500 people a year died in wrong-way collisions. The study found that alcohol impairment contributed to more than 60% of fatal wrong-way crashes. AAA recommends ignition interlock devices as a preventative measure.

A recent opinion piece speculates about the impact of self-driving cars on impaired driving. Current self-driving car technology is not fully autonomous; a driver is still necessary to safely operate a self-driving car. The opinion piece projects that once self-driving cars are fully autonomous, operating the car will be more like sitting in the back of a car that someone else is driving. Until the technology reaches that point, impaired driving will still be an issue in self-driving cars.

MADD and Ipsos have released a new poll finding that consumers support drunk driving prevention systems in cars. Drunk driving prevention systems include driver monitoring and alcohol detection technologies. The poll found that 8 in 10 people surveyed would support drunk driving prevention systems becoming standard in new cars.

The Houston Chronicle has released a report analyzing impaired driving in Houston. According to the report, Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth are among the deadliest cities in the country for impaired driving accidents. The report discusses repeat offenders, challenges facing law enforcement, and new efforts to curb the effects of impaired driving.