Federal Agency Says Texas Among Worst States At Preventing Drunken Driving Fatalities
As reported by the Dallas Morning News at a meeting of the National Transportation Safety board, it was noted that Texas is ranked as one of the top 10 states that have done the least to prevent alcohol-related traffic fatalities. The state has only implemented 4 out of 11 of the federal agency's recommendations to terminate "hard core" drunken driving. Texas is known for having one of the highest proportions of drunken driving deaths in the country
In the year 2009, there were a total of 3,071 deaths just alone from alcohol related accidents in the Plano/Dallas area, which involved drivers with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.15 or greater. Over 40 percent of all crashes in the state involved a drunk driver, the fifth highest rate in the country. "The number of deaths associated with drunk driving is far too high, completely unacceptable and should not be tolerated," said NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) member Mark Rosekind.
Some advocates have suggested that they lower the limit for legal blood-alcohol levels when driving. There has also been discussion on taking the driver's licenses away for the first DWI offense. Out of the 11 recommendations, Texas is currently acting on 4 recommendations. The NTSB considers adoption of 8 to be an acceptable response.
