In preparation for the upcoming anniversary of Mexico's Independence on September 16, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) released a campaign on September 4 directed at Hispanic youth on the risks of drinking an driving.
With the awareness campaign "Drink. Drive. Go to Jail.," the TxDOT is looking to lower the number of arrests of Hispanic drivers that consume alcohol during the independence celebrations of Latin American countries in September, reported EFE.
According to EFE, the TxDOT warns that there is a rise in the number of Latino youth between the ages of 18 and 34 representing almost half (48 percent) of all the driving accidents related to alcohol abuse in Hispanic populations.
Due to these numbers, the campaign contains testimonials from Hispanic drivers who were sentenced for driving under the influence of alcohol. These informative capsules will be broadcast during the festivities, including Mexican Day of Independence on September 16.
Another approved measure was the possibility of police officers asking paramedics to take blood samples to verify the amount of alcohol in the blood of those involved in a traffic accident, an action that looks to give those involved in accidents the option to deny a breathalyser test, the news agency noted.
"It's definitely important to verify the degree of intoxication of those guilty, at the moment of the accident. This is why I advise our community to be careful and to give someone else their car key's when they've ingested alcohol," said Israel Martínez, an interpreter for a law firm specialized in cases of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The state of Texas has put 6,000 paramedics on the streets, which will perform checks to support police units patrolling with the intention of detecting drunk drivers during the festivities.
You can see one of the campaign promos here: