By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
Over the next eight months, San Benito police officers are conducting traffic stops to identify impaired drivers as part of a mobilization program.
Upon investigation, if a police officer determines that a motorist is impaired while driving, the motorist can be arrested and face jail time.
San Benito Commissioners unanimously approved the initiative after SBPD Chief Mario Perea presented a combined grant opportunity at a December 16 regular meeting.
This is an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) as part of the Texas Traffic Safety Grant for the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program-Impaired Driving Mobilization.
This marks at least the fifth time SBPD has participated in the grant, this time for a $6,180.72 allocation, with the City of San Benito required to contribute $1,240.72.
Chief Perea said the grant is awarded to the SBPD to conduct DWI enforcement during four holiday periods and to increase enforcement of traffic-related laws to reduce DWI-related crashes, injuries, and fatalities.
“It’s overtime for our officers to be out patrolling our city streets,” Chief Perea said.
The initiative became effective this month and will end on September 10, 2026, according to the agreement.
The plan requires SBPD to inform the public about enforcement periods via news or social media a few days before enforcement begins.
The first initiative runs from December 12 through January 1, 2026; the second is during Spring Break (March 6 through March 22); the third is during Independence Day (June 19 through July 6); and the fourth is during Labor Day (August 14 through September 7).
The enforcement zones are in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., and the areas are as follows: * 1.47 miles south of Sam Houston, from the frontage road to Ramsey Road; * 2.90 miles along Whalen Road, Business 77, Sam Houston Boulevard, and Frontage Road.
Drunk driving remains a significant cause of U.S. traffic deaths, with around 12,400 to 13,400 fatalities annually (about 30% of all traffic deaths), averaging one death every 39-45 minutes, though numbers fluctuate slightly each year.
Drivers with a BAC of 0.08% (the legal limit) are about four times as likely to crash, and this problem disproportionately affects younger adults (21-29) and men, despite overall long-term decreases since the 1980s, according to national statistics.
According to those statistics, in 2023, 12,429 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, making up 30% of all U.S. traffic fatalities.
Roughly 37 people die daily from drunk driving crashes, or one person every 39 minutes. In 2020, about 338,000 people were injured in drunk driving crashes.
Men are significantly more likely to drive drunk, with 24% reporting blackout driving compared to 12% of women.
There are an estimated 347,000 drunk driving episodes daily in the U.S.
Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities have decreased by 59% since 1982.
There was a notable increase in drunk driving deaths during the pandemic years (2020-2022). In fatal crashes, BAC testing coverage is low, with only 37% of drivers involved in fatal crashes having known BACs in 2022.
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