DALLAS, Texas — Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the Fort Worth Police Department, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office and several other agencies are coming together to try and prevent impaired driving.
It’s called “Saturation Saturday” and starting this weekend through Labor Day, agencies will intensify impaired driving enforcement.
“It’s one of the deadliest holidays on the road,” said Sherri Shoff with MADD during the announcement on Friday.
According to the Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2022, 1,869 people in Texas were killed by drunk drivers.
The move to crack down on impaired driving comes after several people died in two separate crashes along Interstate I-35W just one week apart.
On Monday, police say 19-year-old Eduardo Gonzalez was speeding when he rear-ended a sedan. Five people were inside the sedan when the car caught on fire.
A spokesperson with Fort Worth PD said the car was so burned that investigators couldn’t initially tell how old the victims were.
Prior to this tragic incident, on Aug. 12, Fort Worth Police Sgt. Billy Randolph died from his injuries after he was hit by a woman accused of drunkenly hitting him along Interstate I-35W.
De Aujalae Evans, 25, faces a charge of intoxication manslaughter in the death of Fort Worth Police Sgt. Randolph. She allegedly told police she had around 10 shots of alcohol before the crash happened Monday morning, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Both crashes are horrible reminders for Sue Beatty, a mother who lost her daughter Carly to a drunk driving accident in September 2022.
“It’s like walking around with a huge hole inside you,” Beatty explained. “It’s difficult.”
Beatty said her daughter was 19 years old when she died. She was a student at Texas A&M, studying to be a veterinarian.
“I feel like I’m the one that got the life sentence, not the offender that killed her,” said Beatty.
The mother said she supports anything that will keep people safe on the roads and that drunk driving is 100% preventable.