Harris County Leads the Nation in Driving While Intoxicated Deaths

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, from December 1, 2021 until January 1, 2022, 23% of all traffic deaths in the state involved drunk driving. Of those crashes, 98 people were killed and 236 were seriously injured.

ABC 13 reported that Houston Police Chief Troy Finner stated “We lead the nation, Harris County, in DWI deaths and we want to put an end to that” referring to the Houston area.

In a review of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 2001 until 2016, where alcohol was a contributing factor, the Houston Area averaged more than 5,000 crashes caused by impaired diving annually.

The nine-county area surrounding Houston is the deadliest major metro area in the U.S. for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. This area tallied more drunk driving crashes than any other major metropolitan area in the country. Los Angeles, a city with almost twice the population, has almost 1,000 fewer drunk driving collisions annually. Only the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro area comes close to rivaling Houston.

According to County Sheriff Sgt. Kirby Burton, who oversaw Harris County’s DWI task force, “the citizens of Harris County aren’t scared to get arrested for a DWI.” Mike Davis a trainer at the Alamo Area Regional Law Enforcement Academy stated, “we are big, and we drive everywhere…but we like to drink.”

If you or someone you know has suffered injuries or a family member’s loss due to a drunk driver’s negligence, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-222-7211 or toll-free at 1-800-870-9584.