Crack down on drunken driving

AUSTIN The Texas Department of Transportation and local law enforcement agencies are working together to reduce impaired driving during the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

From today through Monday, local law enforcement agencies are participating in the annual Drink, Drive, Go to Jail campaign to crack down on drunken driving on Texas roads.

Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jeffery Poole of the Odessa station said this is one of the four holidays — along with the Fourth of July, Christmas and New Year’s Day — that everyone is required to work and no one is off.

Ector County Sheriff’s Office and Odessa Police Department representatives said they will continue the usual efforts to catch and punish impaired drivers.

Convicted first-time DWI offenders can pay a fine of up to $2,000, lose their driver’s license for up to a year and serve 180 days in jail. Safety officials said other costs associated with an impaired driving arrest and conviction can add up to more than $17,000 for bail, legal fees, court appearances, court-ordered classes, vehicle insurance increases and other expenses.

A TxDOT release said in 2009, there were 27,108 alcohol-related crashes in Texas that resulted in 955 deaths and 17,542 injuries. In 2008, 25 percent of people killed in alcohol-related crashes in Texas were between the ages of 20 and 25, the release said. Also in 2008, more alcohol-related crashes occurred between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. than any other hour of the day, the release said.