The Texas Department of Public Safety is stepping up traffic enforcement during the Fourth of July holiday.
Additional troopers will be on the lookout both Tuesday and Wednesday, July 3 and 4, for people driving drunk, speeding, not wearing their seat belts and committing other traffic violations.
Last Fourth of July’s increased enforcement yielded more than 98,000 tickets and warnings, the agency said, including 529 DWI arrests.
“If you plan to consume alcohol, there is no excuse for not designating a sober driver or planning ahead for alternate transportation,” DPS Director Steven McCraw said in a news release.
Nearly 30 percent of all of 2017’s fatal crashes in Texas involved someone driving under the influence of alcohol.
In addition to making alternate travel plans if you plan on drinking, DPS urges drivers to slow down, especially in heavy traffic and unfamiliar areas, to eliminate distractions while driving by putting away mobile devices and wearing a seat belt.
The McAllen Police Department has already begun increasing traffic enforcement, and extra officers will be on patrol, specifically looking for drunk drivers, through July 15.
