Tragic Christmas Eve Traffic Fatalities in Houston a Nationwide Trend

Someone once wrote about this time of year: “‘Tis the season to be jolly.” I don’t know where they were living when they wrote that, but it sure wasn’t Houston, Texas. In Houston, ‘tis the season for increased numbers of traffic fatalities and deadly shootings at group gatherings.

On Christmas Eve, a teen boy was killed by an SUV when he tried to cross the freeway on foot after the car he was in stalled. An oncoming vehicle had swerved to avoid hitting the teen, and it was the SUV behind that hit him. The young man was pronounced dead at the scene of the tragic accident. No charges have been filed.

Also on Christmas Eve, a pedestrian in southeast Houston was killed by a hit and run driver in a white Mitsubishi Lancer just after 8 p.m. The Mitsubishi crashed after hitting the man, and the driver ran away. The pedestrian was declared dead at the scene of the crash. Houston police are looking for the driver. Don’t hesitate to contact HPD if you know where this driver is.

Texas Traffic Fatalities spike during the Holidays

Last year, TxDOT data shows that 39 people died in Texas during the 102 hours of the Christmas holiday, and 33 people died during the 102-hour New Year’s timeframe.

The U.S. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) indicates that 40% of traffic deaths during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays involved drunken driving. This number is 12% higher than for the rest of the month of December. Though our Houston wrongful death accident lawyers mention that year-round, the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths averages 33% nationally and even higher in Texas usually. The NIAAA provides the following information that you might not know on the effects of alcohol in the body:

• Alcohol acts quickly and can impair your judgment, coordination, and driving skills before there are any physical signs of drunkenness to warn of your driving impairment.
• Alcohol metabolizes slowly. It continues to enter your bloodstream and its effects in your body can last for hours after you’ve finished drinking. Your driving ability might be impaired and you might test positive for DUI the morning after a night out drinking.
• Coffee and caffeine don’t help reduce alcohol’s effects. Only time will metabolize the alcohol. And many caffeinated drinks are diuretics that will actually dehydrate you further and increase the effects of the alcohol.
• The NIAAA recommends that you imbibe no more than one alcoholic drink per hour, and that you intersperse your alcohol with non-alcoholic beverages every other drink. (http://easthoustonrmc.com)

Download your free report from the Houston wrongful death accident lawyers at Denena Points, PC to learn what to do after a serious DUI crash injures you or your loved ones.