Pandemic Has Not Stopped DWI Epidemic

By Bill Berenson, Fort Worth personal injury attorney

There has been less traffic on our roads than in decades. In March, the streets were almost empty. Further, bars and restaurants closed and are slowly reopening.

So you would assume there would be less people driving while intoxicated causing fewer collisions.

However the state reported that the number of highway fatalities only fell to 241 for the first month of the pandemic from 305 that same month last year.

Why such a small drop? The sad truth is that there were still too many inebriated and reckless drivers on Texas roads. DWIs are the leading cause of highway deaths.

Someone is injured or killed in a crash caused by alcohol every 20 minutes.

Drunk driving is out of control in Texas.

Drunk Driving Accidents in the DFW Area

Here are a few of the horrific crashes this month caused by drunk drivers across the Dallas-Fort Worth area:

• Three people died and two others were injured in West Dallas by a drunk driver with a previous conviction for DWI;
• A woman killed a man on Interstate 20 in Arlington;
• A woman lost her life on Interstate 35 in Burleson;
• A one-year-old girl died when a teenager driving at over 100 miles per hour crashed into a car in Garland; and
• A man who had left a bar drove his truck into a crowd and severely injured a woman in Fort Worth.

Fatal Driving While Intoxicated Crashes in North Texas are a serious problem

North Texas is at the epicenter of the driving while intoxicated crisis.

Dallas County has almost the highest number of DWI crashes in Texas, not far behind Harris County (Houston) with its much greater population.

A shocking 121 people lost their lives and 1,261 others were seriously injured as the result of driving while intoxicated just in Dallas and Tarrant Counties last year.

Drunk driving collisions almost always cause serious injuries since they are often high-speed crashes, sometimes even going the wrong-way on interstate highways.

We urge all drivers to take responsibility for their actions and never drink and drive.

Berenson Injury Law specializes in car and truck collisions and has handled many DWI crashes over the past 40 years.