It is no secret that with the long Labor Day weekend comes the increased likelihood of traffic accidents causing serious injuries and deaths. We join the Texas Department of Transportation, police departments and sheriff’s offices across the state in urging everyone to urge area residents to take extra care on the roadways.

Law enforcement agencies are stepping up efforts to stop careless drivers and alcohol-impaired drivers from making the holiday weekend as tragic as it has been in previous years. This weekend, we urge parents to talk to their teenage drivers and make sure they understand the consequences of drinking alcohol and driving. The laws are even stricter for teens arrested for driving with any alcohol in their system, regardless of the level. They should know that even if they drive sober, there is added reason to drive even more defensively than usual because statistics indicate they will be sharing the roadways with more drunk drivers than the average weekend.

The Department of Public Safety reports that during last year’s two-week crackdown, officers around the state worked approximately 18,000 combined hours of overtime specifically looking for intoxicated drivers.

TxDOT reports that its Crash Records Information System indicates there were 27,108 alcohol-related crashes in Texas last year that resulted in 955 deaths and 17,542 injuries.

The campaign runs through Sept. 6.

We urge Westbank residents who are venturing out on the highways for a last vacation before the busy fall season to be extra careful to avoid becoming a statistic.