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!
Impaired Driving: Get the Facts
The CDC recently published this important article about impaired driving.
Impaired Driving by Teens
Please see this article concerning impaired driving by teens.
2021 Drunk Driving Statistics
For current information about drunk driving statistics please read this article!
NHTSA Releases Impaired Driving Enforcement Case Studies
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.”
Impaired Driving Contributes to Wrong-Way Driving Deaths, New Data Shows
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.
Speculations on Impaired Driving and Self-Driving Cars
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/Ipsos Poll Finds that Consumers Support Drunk Driving Prevention Systems in 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.
Houston Chronicle Releases Impaired Driving Analysis
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.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Did you know that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month?
1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men in the United States experience domestic violence, and nearly 1.5 million high school students are physically abused by dating partners every year according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Many organizations have indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has seen instances of domestic violence increase dramatically, while it has been even harder for survivors to get the help that they need to leave dangerous situations.
Those are some disappointing facts, and the increasing numbers show the importance of awareness and education about domestic violence.
What can you do to help?
Chances are that justice courts see both adults and children or teens that have survived domestic violence every day. These survivors might show up in your court for cases that you might not initially expect, like truancy and traffic cases.
There are many resources available, and courts can share these resources with people who come to the court. A few comprehensive resources can be found below:
Hotline, shelter, and counseling information, including contact information for local resources, can be found here: https://nomore.org/need-immediate-help/
The Texas Council on Family Violence Survivor Resources, including new information about lease termination for survivors of family violence, sexual 
assault, or stalking, can be found here: https://tcfv.org/survivor-resources/
Where can you learn more?
One of our new, self-paced modules, Family Violence and Other Criminal History Reporting for Justice Courts includes education and resources about family violence in Texas. The module and information about how to receive judicial education credit for completing it can be found here: https://www.tjctc.org/onlinelearning/selfpacedmodules.html.
The Texas Domestic Violence Resource Program for courts, including information about the Protective Order Registry, can be found at the Texas Courts website here: https://www.txcourts.gov/dvrp/.
In case you missed it, you can read more about the Protective Order Registry and the justice court’s requirements in our blog post from last month here.
