SAN ANTONIO – A little more than a week before Fiesta kicks off, several local organizations and law enforcement came together Wednesday to remind people to find a sober ride home.
The meeting included TxDOT, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, the District’s Attorney’s Office, San Antonio police, the Fiesta Commission, VIA and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
The theme was “Plan while you can.”
The group stressed there are multiple options available in the Alamo City from a designated driver, to Uber, Lyft and VIA.
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"A DWI can cost you upwards of $18,000 in legal fees, lost wages and things like that,” Sheriff Javier Salazar said. “I mean, imagine the price of having to live with the fact that you took somebody else’s life due to your own stupidity. It's really that something so easily preventable and that's what we're hoping people do."
In 2016, SAPD arrested 138 people on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, and 29 of them had a blood alcohol content of 0.15 percent of higher.
According to police in 2016, 233 people were arrested by officers during the 11-day event.
- 8 people arrested had a child under the age of 15 with them.
- 26 people had a previous DWI arrest
- 20 people had three or more previous DWI arrests
- 12 people arrested had an open can in their vehicles
- 29 people had a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 or greater
- 138 people were arrested a charged with DWI.
Fiesta begins on April 20 and wraps up on April 30.
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