Top DWI Fatalities among Large Counties

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Among the most populous counties in the nation, the highest rate of DWI-related traffic deaths belongs to Harris County. In fact, this claim was backed up by a series of horrible crashes in recent days.

Experts agree that limited public transportation and an urban sprawl that would lead their 3.9 million residents to drive many miles are partly to blame for their high DWI fatality. Meanwhile, the county jail is constantly filled with DWI suspects due to more officers and stepped-up reinforcement patrolling roadways at peak times. Added to this mix is the public’s stubborn reluctance to get cabs or rely on designated drivers when they get drunk.

“Our biggest problem is dealing with driving after we start drinking – we just don’t make plans before we drink,” said Paul Lassalle, an officer of DWI task force Police Department in Houston.

Each year, the cases of driving while intoxicated number to about 10,000. Due to this, district attorney Pat Lykos has called the DWI problem of the county as “pandemic plague.” He hopes to lower the rates by offering a pretrial probation term to first-time offenders, in hopes that it will avoid conviction and get them into treatment.

Tags: attorney, district attorney, driving while intoxicated, dwi, Harris County, Pat Lykos, Paul Lassalle
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