San Antonio Drunk Driving Accidents – Football & Holidays a Dangerous Mix
It’s either the Cowboys or the Texans.
For those college football fans, Texas has 10 Division 1-A schools, including University of Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor.
Whichever team you are rooting for this year, safety officials urge you to do so responsibly. Organizations like the National Safety Council are reporting more traffic deaths will occur this year than last. Texas, California and Florida lead the nation. Whether tailgating for hours before the game, or joining friends and family at a private party, celebrating responsibly is the key to making it home safely. 
San Antonio personal injury lawyers know that about one-third of all fatal accidents involve alcohol — claiming more than 10,000 lives a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Somewhere in America, a motorist is killed in an accident with a drunk driver every 50 minutes. And the last three months of the year — from the start of football season through the year end holidays — are routinely the most dangerous.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the National Football League are joining forces for the third year in a row, urging fans to “play the most important position in the NFL — the Designated Driver.” The campaign will include MADD booths at many NFL games, as well as parking lot signage and other safety efforts. Through MADD’s “Power of You(th)” Facebook page, teens are also urged to take a pledge not to drink before age 21 and to never ride with someone who has been drinking.
In the last decade, the increasing popularity of tailgating before games has increased the risk. One study by the University of Colorado, which examined arrest records on game day in 26 college towns, found a 76 percent increase in alcohol violations and a 13 percent increase in drunk-driving accidents.
Nationwide, the U.S. Department of Transportation reports 10,228 motorists were killed in car accidents involving alcohol in 2012. In Texas, nearly half of all fatal accidents (48 percent) involved a driver who was under the influence of alcohol — accounting for 1,450 of the state’s 2,998 traffic deaths. Only South Carolina, at 51 percent, had a greater percentage of drivers involved in fatal accidents who were under the influence. And Texas recorded the most deaths. No other state reported more than 1,000 deaths involving intoxicated drivers in 2010, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
The Texas Department of Transportation urges motorists who have been drinking to designate a driver, call a cab or spend the night. Those having football parties also have an obligation to be responsible hosts:
-Serve plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages.
-Having the number of a taxi service or other alternative transportation options available.
-Never serve an underage person alcohol.
-Stop serving alcohol well before the end of the game and offer coffee or other non-alcoholic alternatives.
A conviction on a first-offense charge of driving under the influence can result in up to 6 months in jail, the suspension of your driver’s license for a year and a fine of up to $2,000.
Please root for the home team responsibly — and help make sure that your friends and family members do the same!
If you’ve been injured in an accident, contact The Herrera Law Firm, Inc at 800-455-1054 for a confidential consultation.
