The Texas Department of Transportation is supporting increased law enforcement efforts statewide from Aug. 14 through Sept. 7 and taking its Drive Sober. No Regrets. campaign on the road, according to an Aug. 13 news release from the agency.
Impaired driving deaths consistently spike over Labor Day weekend in Texas, the agency said. Last year, 35 percent of all Texas crash fatalities were drug or alcohol related. Over Labor Day weekend 2025, that number climbed to 57 percent, with 26 people killed in less than four days – a death caused by an impaired driver every three hours, according to the release.
The campaign highlights the story of Jennifer Chavis, a Harris County Precinct 7 deputy constable and military veteran who was killed by an impaired driver on April 2, 2022. Following several 911 calls reporting erratic driving, Chavis was in position to pull over the driver when he slammed into her patrol car, causing an explosion that engulfed it in flames, the release said. The driver later admitted to drinking before the crash.
“I still wait by the phone for my daughter’s call at night, letting me know she made it home safe,” said Tanya Childress, Chavis’ mother, in the release. “And all of this could have been avoided if the other driver had not made the thoughtless and selfish choice to drive while impaired.”
“There is never a good reason to drive impaired. You always have options,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams in the release. “If you are celebrating Labor Day, make the choice that protects your friends, your neighbors and every other person on the road: arrange your ride before you start.” The agency noted that alcohol is not the only risk – cannabis, cold medicine, prescription drugs and any substance that affects judgment or motor function can make driving dangerous, and Texans can call a rideshare, take public transit, designate a sober driver or stay put.
As part of the campaign, a former beverage delivery truck retrofitted to deliver sober driving messages will travel the state with interactive activities showing why impaired driving is dangerous, the release said. TxDOT is also providing grant funding to law enforcement agencies as they boost efforts to identify and arrest impaired drivers through Sept. 7, coinciding with the national heightened enforcement period sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.