Austin doctor speaks out against drunk driving
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The chief of emergency medicine a prominent Austin hospital said this week that 2 of every 5 people traumatically injured in motor vehicle wrecks and tested at his hospital last year were under the influence of alcohol.
"I have watched a continual stream of ruined and lost lives resulting from DUI and DWI accidents. Every one is tragic, and totally preventable," Crocker said asking what authorities are doing to reduce injuries and deaths caused by driving while intoxicated.
Austin Police Department data shows that DWI arrests were up 28% from 2000 to 2005, a period when the city's population increased 6%. In 2005, police reported 5,724 DWI arrests in Austin, more than police made in any of Texas' five other largest cities.
In fact, figures provided by individual police departments show that Austin police made significantly more DWI arrests per capita last year than Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth and El Paso.
Crocker said he was pleased to hear about the Austin DWI arrests but thinks that enforcement is still an issue he is also convinced that despite the high number of those testing positive, there probably would be more if everyone were tested.
Last year, Brackenridge Hospital cared for 723 injured auto drivers, testing 388 for alcohol and 250 for drugs.
In addition, Capital Metro now runs buses from college neighborhoods to the 6th Street entertainment district so students can come and go cheaply without risking a DWI in Travis County.
"We will make 6,000 DWI arrests in 2006, and there's still going to be a number of fatal accidents involving alcohol. The only way to impact that number is through community education." Austin Police Chief Stan Knee said
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data show that alcohol was a factor in 46% of car wreck fatalities in Texas in 2004. In Travis County, more than half the traffic deaths in 2004 were attributed to alcohol.
For the complete article of 2005 DWI Arrests in Texas Largest Cities, follow this link.
