As the holiday season approaches, Dallas County is ramping up efforts to prevent drunk driving accidents with a new campaign aimed at keeping impaired drivers off the road.
The #WhatAlcoholSays campaign, officially announced by local officials on Tuesday, encourages residents to use a different mode of transportation to avoid driving under the influence.
County officials, partnering with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), 24HourDallas, and AAA Texas, have enlisted the help of 39 local businesses to participate in this year’s anti-drunk driving initiative, the largest number of participating businesses since it first started in 2022, according to KERA News.
From Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, customers at certain participating locations can access discounts through Lyft codes, making it easier and more affordable to opt for a ride home instead of getting behind the wheel after drinking.
“This collaboration is part of a broader effort to encourage responsible choices and lower Dallas County’s high rate of alcohol-related crashes and fatalities,” 24HoursDallas posted to social media earlier this week.
Dallas County continues to struggle with a high number of DWI-related crashes. In 2023, more than 2,100 drunk driving incidents were reported, and the county ranks second in Texas for DWI-related deaths, following Harris County, per KERA.
Another legislative initiative was created in September 2023 to deter drunk drivers across the state.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, a new law took effect late last year, mandating that individuals convicted of killing a parent or guardian in a drunk driving crash must pay child support to the victim’s children.
For perspective, in 2022, the Texas Department of Transportation reported 1,162 fatalities from drunk driving, making up over 25% of all traffic-related deaths in Texas.
Known as “Bentley’s Law,” the legislation is named in memory of a young boy from Missouri who lost both of his parents in a drunk driving incident.