End of the year shenanigans have already begun for many people. The end of the year brings celebration after celebration, and much of those involve alcohol. Trips to the liquor store and meet-ups at local bars become quite popular around this time of the year.

Everyone is looking to have good times with friends and family as they gear up to bring in the new year. However, with the fun comes responsibility and Texas is earning a bad reputation when it comes to responsibility.

Texas Among Worst For Drunk Driving

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Zutobi, a drivers ed company, published a fresh study examining drunk driving nationwide. According to their study, Texas is ranked among the top five worst drunk driving states in the country- yikes.

Let's Break It Down

According to TXDOT, "A person in Texas dies every nine hours and six minutes in a DUI-alcohol-related traffic crash." They also broke down 963 people in Texas were killed due to alcohol and another 2,114 were seriously injured.

Holidays get busy, roads are packed, and people are having fun. During the holidays, specifically, "December 1, 2020, through January 1, 2021, there were 2,462 DUI-alcohol-related traffic crashes." Of those crashes, 93 people were killed and another 215 were seriously injured. That is an astounding amount in just one month.

This Can Be Prevented

Unfortunately, Texas has such a high rate of impaired driving. However, the silver lining is: they are 100% preventableThere are many options to refrain from getting behind the wheel drunk.

Plan Ahead

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If you know you are going to be drinking, plan ahead. Have a designated driver if you are going to be traveling with a group. If you traveling alone, ask a friend or family member ahead of time if they can be your transportation.

Call a Lyft

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The crossroads have Lyft drivers available, use them! If Lyft seems to be low on drivers, call a cab. There are plenty of people ready to pick up those who cannot safely drive.

Stay at Home

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Have a party in the confines of your own home that way you don't need to plan a ride anywhere!

Stay Put

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If you are drinking at a friend's or family member's house, reach out to them beforehand and see if you can stay put till the morning. Grab a pillow and call it a night where you are instead of driving drunk.

Don't Be a Statistic

Making those plans now is your best bet to refrain from being another statistic. You can prevent harming yourself and innocent people on the road too.

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