A recent article on the D.A.R.E. website shed light on a positive outcome related to some recent drunk driving public awareness campaigns that were conducted in Texas. According to the report, DWI arrests are on the decline in Wichita Falls, with rates falling steadily over the last three years.
Local law enforcement officials cite programs like the youth-focused D.A.R.E. program as a reason for this decline, in addition to the statewide “Faces of Drunk Driving” campaign that is focusing on humanizing the stories of individuals whose lives have been impacted by a completely preventable tragedy. This campaign is helping Texans learn about ways to prevent drunk driving, and about the true cost of impaired driving.
The stories shared on the program’s website tell heart-rendering narratives from a variety of perspectives such as that of the driver, the victim, mothers of a victim, fathers of victims, and passengers who rode with a drunk driver. And, in addition to raising awareness about the tragic human toll that drinking and driving can have, the campaign is also providing a slew of much-needed educational tools and resources designed to help to prevent drunk driving in Texas.
Of course, planning ahead if you are going to go out and drink is always the best option. But what can you do to make sure that you and your friends get home safely if you did not secure a designated driver ahead of time? In major cities, it may just take a few clicks on a smartphone to arrange for a ride home from one of the popular rideshare companies that are providing services to increasingly large areas of the country. However, in many places, especially lowly populated areas, getting a cab or other type of ride service is not always so easy.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)’s Choose Your Ride Program provides users with all types of information that can help them avoid getting behind the wheel or into a car when it is not safe to do so. The website outlines all types of options for getting a safe ride home in Texas, including public transit and even a Twitter messaging platform for requesting rides.
There is hope that programs like Choose Your Ride and the Faces of Drunk Driving will continue to help lower rates of drunk driving in Wichita Falls and throughout the state of Texas. And while prevention is key, there are a variety of rehabilitative programs available to help individuals who abuse alcohol to end the cycle of addiction and begin to reclaim their lives. By making the choice to seek help when it is needed, men and women can rid themselves of the temptation to put themselves and others in harm’s way.
