Texas, known for doing everything in big proportions, has found itself twelfth on a list of the worst states for drunk driving, according to data analyzed by backgroundchecks.org and released in March 2017.
The Lone Star State had a DUI death rate (per 100,000) of 4.75 and 64,971 DUI arrests. First on the list was Wyoming, followed by North Dakota, ranked second; South Dakota, ranked third; Montana, fourth; South Carolina, fifth; Mississippi, sixth; New Mexico, seventh; Kentucky, eighth; Maine, ninth; Arkansas, tenth; and Idaho, eleventh.
“To create a ranking of states, we took a combination of deaths directly attributable to DUIs, DUI arrests per 100,000 people, and drinking too much before driving, as reported by drivers themselves,” backgroundchecks.org said in its release of the data. “We then created a weighted formula.”
The original data used to create the weighted formula came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. BackgroundChecks.org focuses on public safety, online privacy, home security and open government, and it regularly gathers new data and research on issues affecting public welfare.
Take Note: If you have lost your license and need to work on driver’s license restoration, browse through the attorney directories on www.Drunkdrivingattorneys.com or www.DriversLicenseRestorers.com. Pick an attorney experienced and knowledgeable in the driver’s license appeal (restoration) process in your state. If you need to get treatment to help make a case for restoring your license, there are treatment center directories on both sites. If you need information about points on your driving record, check your state department of motor vehicles. In Texas, go to www.txdmv.gov. Helping yourself is always the first step in having your DUI attorney help you.
A factor in Texas making the backgroundchecks.org list very well could be the state’s lack of resources to monitor and enforce driving and DUI laws. A recent article in The Texas Tribune highlighted significant staffing problems in Texas’ two major cities – Houston and Dallas – and pointed out that their issue is indicative of a larger national situation.
According to the article, Dallas’ police force has shrunk by more than 600 people since 2011, and more than 40 percent of that drop has been since 2016. It said Houston lost hundreds of officers to retirement this year before the department’s pension plan changed in July.
“At some point you get diminished returns, when you’re as lean as we are,” Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said in the article.
According to The Right Step, “about every 20 minutes in Texas, someone is hurt or killed in a vehicular crash involving alcohol.” Additionally, “in 2016, 987 people lost their lives to DUI incidents.”
Information on Texas’ DUI laws can be found here. And, even more information on DUI laws across the nation can be found here.
The Austin-Round Rock region of Texas is reportedly the worst location in the state for drinking-related issues, according to an online article in 24/7 Wall St. The area “is the heaviest drinking metro area in a state,” the piece said.
“The share of adults in the Austin area who drink excessively is 21.5 percent, well above the national percentage of 18 percent,” and “alcohol is involved in 34.9 percent of driving deaths in the area, higher than both the state and national rates.”
“The fact that over 10,000 people a year die from DUI-related accidents is a travesty,” Trent Wilson, co-author of the backgroundchecks.org research, was quoted as saying. In addition to those killed, some 200,000 sustain injuries as a direct result of someone driving under the influence, the organization notes.
“We hope this research will open some eyes and make people think twice before drinking and driving,” Wilson said.
