With the unofficial end of summer comes one of the most dangerous weekends on Texas roads.
“On holiday weekends there usually seems to be an increased number in alcohol consumption and therefore results in people getting on the roadways and more individuals driving under the influence,” said Robert Reeves, Irving Police public information officer.
Starting Friday, Reeves said Irving police will have enhanced DWI enforcement, joining others like state troopers, in tracking down and arresting impaired drivers.
In a similar initiative last weekend, the department made 15 DWI arrests.
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“I know I specifically stopped a car that was doing well over 105 miles an hour down Highway 114,” Reeves said.
More than 1,000 Texans were killed by drunk drivers in 2021, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
Just Wednesday night, loved ones gathered to remember Texas Wesleyan student Charles Trammell.
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“Charles lost his life because a coward got behind the wheel of a car,” said his mother, Shenica Trammell, at a vigil.
Charles Trammell had stopped to help classmates change a flat tire Saturday night when a suspected drunk driver hit him, knocking Trammell from an overpass, Fort Worth police said.
“Wake up, slow down, pay attention. It's happening so frequently that if it hasn't happened to someone in your direct family or network of friends, it's going to,” Reeves said.
And with an increase in those instances each Labor Day weekend, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, police reminded that there's no excuse to get behind the wheel impaired.
Last Labor Day weekend, the Texas Department of Public Safety reported that troopers issued more than 52,000 tickets and warnings and made 222 DWI arrests.
