This past Saturday morning, families attended the 2022 North Texas Walk like MADD 5K and fundraiser in Irving.
The event happens annually, sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and aims to raise both awareness and funds to eliminate accidents caused by driving under the influence. More than 100 people were in attendance this year.
There were storyboards lined up in honor of those who passed away due to a drunk driving incident. They also lined up empty shoes to represent these loved ones.
Police officers partnered with MADD; many of them had personal connections to the cause.
An officer from the Arlington Police Department, Stacie Brown, told NBC, “my sister was the drunk driver, and she was only 28 years old when she lost her life.”
The accident happened 25 years ago. Brown believes that drunk driving is an issue, which often goes overlooked until someone suffers a loss and experiences it personally.
Earlier last week Jacob Arellano, a Dallas police officer, was killed when a car hit him driving the wrong way through traffic on Spur 408 in southwest Dallas. Arellano was on his way to work; the other driver was reportedly intoxicated. “It hurt to know that that officer, so young, lost his life to a 100% preventable crime,” Emma Dugas, the Texas Program Manager for MADD, stated. “This event is going to help bring awareness to educate people that you have options to get you home safe.”
The 31-year-old driver, Mayra Rebollar, is now facing a charge of intoxication manslaughter.
The funds raised at the MADD 5K event will go toward awareness-building and educational programs at the MADD North Texas office.
In 2019, there were 1,332 drunk driving fatalities in Texas, accounting for 13% of fatalities from drunk driving nationwide. Among these, over 70% involved a driver whose blood alcohol content (BAC) level was equal to or above 0.15, which, for the average person, is around seven or eight drinks.
Over 33% of driving fatalities involving people under 21 in Texas were in accidents involving an intoxicated driver.
