Drinking & Driving in Texas

Drinking & Driving is a serious issue in Texas and in the rest of the United States. Sit in on a Texas defensive driving program and you'll learn all about obeying the rules of the road. One of the most obvious traffic laws revolves around not driving under the influence of alcohol. In this article, we'll discuss all of the latest stats concerning alcohol-related traffic fatalities.

You don't need a Texas defensive driving course to tell you that it's wrong to drink and drive. Yet a review of the latest statistics on traffic safety from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that drivers weren't aware that drinking and driving don't mix. Or, perhaps, they just didn't care.

In 2006, there were 16,885 alcohol-related fatalities in 2005. That accounts for 39% of all traffic fatalities for the year.

The same study reveals that in that same year, more than 50% of the drivers involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking had a BAC level of .16 or more. BAC stands for Blood Alcohol Content and in Texas, the legal BAC level is .08. It is illegal to get behind the wheel with a BAC level greater than .08.

A greater BAC level will not only impair your driving, it will also impair your judgment. And that could send you to a Texas defensive driving program. The same national study reveals that of the drivers fatally injured in 2005 with BAC levels greater than .08, only 28 percent were wearing their seatbelts. Of those killed with a BAC levels between 0.01 and 0.07, 44% were wearing seatbelts. 56% of those killed with a BAC level of zero were wearing seatbelts.

In 2005, there were a total of 3,504 fatalities on the road in Texas. None of the drivers will have the opportunity to attend a defensive driving class in Texas because, sadly, they're no longer with us. Almost unbelievably, 1,569 of those had a BAC greater than 0. That's a whopping 45%. To put things in perspective, the 1,569 with a BAC greater than 0 represents 10% of the total road fatalities in the U.S. where drivers had a BAC greater than 0.

So what's the deal with Texas? Why are these numbers so high? Do drivers not care about the prospect of having to take defensive driving in Texas? Do they not care about the prospect of dying behind the wheel? While nobody really knows for sure, one thing is certain. If drivers don't take drinking and driving seriously, things are only going to get worse.

We know what you're thinking. You didn't drink and drive to earn your latest traffic ticket and a trip to a Texas defensive driving class. You were simply speeding. Instead of thinking 'this has nothing to do with me', think about what would happen if you coupled your speeding with a few beers or glasses of wine.

The result? The consequences of your traffic violation could have been much more serious. You could have ended up driving on the sidewalk and hitting a pedestrian. You could have smashed into hydro wires. You could have smash into several cars. You could have killed someone.

Still, you're not one to drink and drive so this information doesn't apply to you. You might have one or two glasses and still remain within the legal limit.

Think again. Remember, even one drink can impair your judgment. Even one drink can slow down your decision making process. Even one drink can reduce your reaction time, which in turn might lead to a traffic violation. And the final stop? A trip to a Texas defensive driving program.

Avoid having to take a defensive driving class in Texas. Avoid a serious accident. Don't drink and drive.