WACO, Texas (KXXV) — TxDOT said Drunk driving year-round, especially during the holidays, is a problem. Our community has had more DWI arrests this year than last year.
- The Waco Police Department told 25 News there have been more arrests for DWIs in our community this year than last.
- In 2023, 373 people were arrested; this year, there have been 387 arrests.
- Free ride programs include The Zimmerman Law Firm's free holiday ride-sharing cab ride program,
- Waco Transit System offers free rides to and from New Year’s Eve destinations from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"He could have taken an Uber or a Lyft," Yolanda Carson said. "There are so many opportunities in other ways that he could have gotten home, but he didn't, and he made that choice."
Yolanda Carson lost her 23-year-old daughter, Jade, in a drunk driving-related crash in March 2013.
"My daughter Jade will never get a chance to step into the classroom or watch her son Jacob grow up, all because someone made the selfish choice of getting behind the wheel after drinking," Carson said.
Carson says Jade was an aspiring school teacher and a mother to her son Jacob.
"Think about others, think about me, think about Jade and Jacob, who has lost his mother," Carson said.
TxDOT said it's a problem in our community.
"Drunk driving is a huge problem year-round in Texas, but it increases during the holidays," TxDOT Traffic Safety Program Manager Ruby Martinez said.
TxDOT reports one in four traffic deaths in Texas were related to drunk driving last year—that number increasing to 28% over the holidays.
Also, in 2023, 126 Texans were killed and 272 injured by drunk drivers over the holiday season.
The Waco Police Department told 25 News there have been more arrests for DWIs in our community this year than last. In 2023, 373 people were arrested— this year, there have been 387 arrests.
TxDOT says beyond the possibility of taking a life, including your own—driving impaired and getting a DWI can result in legal issues– losing your driver's license and fines up to $17,000.
The city of Waco and other local businesses have free ride initiatives on new year's eve— including Waco Transit's Free Safe Ride home program from 6 p.m. until 3 a.m.
