Police departments in North Texas and across the state will have increased enforcement in place Saturday as part of a partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving. MADD launched "Saturation Saturday" in Missouri in 2016 and expanded the project nationwide in 2019.
MADD says participating departments will dedicate at least one officer to drunk driving enforcement Saturday night.
"We've had a great turnout in the past, and I'm looking forward to how many departments are going to participate this year," says MADD's Emma Dugas.
The Texas Department of Transportation says drunk driving was a factor in 25,261 crashes last year, nine percent more than in 2020.
"It's a 100% preventable crime," Dugas says. "We just hope to educate the community to help prevent this from happening."
Dugas says MADD wants to spread the word about Saturation Saturday, saying the goal is not enforcement but to convince people who plan to drink alcohol to make a plan before leaving home.
"[Police] are definitely on the streets, and they're looking for those signs of impairment and making sure to keep those drivers off the road," she says.
Saturation Saturday coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign which runs from August 17 through September 5. NHTSA says 530 people died in crashes nationwide over Labor Day weekend in 2020, and 38% involved a drunk driver.
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