TYLER (KYTX)-We all know how important football is here in Texas, but did you know that on game days alcohol related crashes rise in the state?Whether you are heading to Dallas for Texas vs. OU, or watching your team at home, law enforcement officers want you to have a game plan that includes a sober ride home.
There were more than seventeen hundred alcohol related crashes in 2013 when a Texas college or pro team was playing. That's a seven percent increase from 2012, so before you leave a bar after drinking, make sure having a sober driver is part of your game day ritual.
"I remember when my dad got the phone call that his sister had been killed," Mothers Against Drunk Driving Victim Services Manager Carol King said.
Killed when she was t-boned by a drunk driver. Carol King still remembers that day and tells her story to inspire others not to drink and drive.
"They also need to understand it's not just them that's affected, so many people are affected- the person you hit, the person in the car with you, their families, their friends," King said.
The trend of alcohol related crashes on Texas game days has risen every year since 2011. With big games this weekend across the state, DPS Trooper Jean Dark says everyone needs to plan ahead.
"Have a plan, have a plan in place before you go because we know the first thing alcohol does is it affects your judgement," Dark said.
A first time DWI offense can cost up to three thousand dollars and being over the legal limit of .08 is not the only way to get a ticket.
"Anything that causes you to not have the normal use of your mental or physical faculties is also a violation of the DWI statute," Dark said.
King hopes people realize how one person's actions can affect others.
"You can't put a number on the people affected by a single crash," King said.
Getting in a car with someone who has been drinking is as dangerous as you driving drunk.
The people at MADD recommend keeping the phone number of a reliable person in your pocket in case you get to a point where it isn't safe to drive.
