STAR TELEGRAM: Police to pay special attention to drunken drivers this holiday season

GRAND PRAIRIE — Drunken drivers beware.

Law officers will be out in force this holiday season and looking for such impaired drivers, officials from Tarrant and Dallas counties said Wednesday.

Prosecutors, police, deputies, medical personnel and politicians are all on the same page, said Richard Alpert, Tarrant County assistant district attorney. Those who get pulled over on suspicion of driving drunk will be taken off the streets, they will have their blood drawn even if they refuse to submit to a test, and they will be prosecuted, Alpert said.

Alpert said he expects more than 150 drunken driving arrests in Tarrant County during the holiday season. He said that if people really want to avoid becoming a statistic, they can follow his example.

“I’m not on the roads between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. during the holidays,” Alpert said at a news conference in Grand Prairie. “I leave those roads to the police.”

Most of the people officers expect to arrest are repeat offenders or will have blood-alcohol levels nearly twice the legal limit, which is 0.08, Alpert said.

Tarrant County Commisioner Andy Nguyen also cautioned motorists to designate a sober driver or stay at home during the holiday season.

“The holidays should be a time for rejoicing,” he said, “not for mourning.”
Grand Prairie Police Chief Steve Dye said those who get caught drinking and driving can expect to spend about $10,000 by the time they complete the court process.

“We are all paying for it,” Dye said. “Drunk driving costs an average insurance customer an additional $800 on their yearly insurance premium.”

Jason Derscheied, executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is the most dangerous time for those trying to avoid being involved in a collision with an impaired driver.

Near the end of the news conference, Tonya Winchester pulled her wheelchair up to the microphone and said a drunken driver cost her the use of much of her body. Almost a decade ago she was drinking with friends and handed her car keys to a friend who had been drinking but was confident he could drive.

The friend ran a stop sign and an 18-wheeler crashed into her jeep at 40 mph, said Winchester, now 27.

“I woke up two weeks later in a hospital unable to feel, speak or breathe,” Winchester said. “I broke my neck and was told that I would be paralyzed for the rest of my life.”

But that’s not what bothers her most, Winchester said.

“The hardest part of my injury is having to watch the people I love suffer through my decision with me,” she said. “Every decision we make has meaning. My message is to encourage you to think before any decision you make and be responsible.”

Mitch Mitchell, 817-390-7752 Twitter: @mitchmitchel3 THANKS FOR SHARING MY STORY!

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Mitchell, Mitch. "Police to pay special attention to drunken drivers this holiday season." Star Telegram: Crime And Safety. 13 November 2014. Web. 14 November 2014.

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We Must Strive Harder to Be and Live as Great Examples

I was reminded yesterday that there is always someone watching and observing the people we are and the lives we lead and that is why it is so important to lead an exemplary life - one you are proud of and one that encourages and inspires greatness. Our behaviors, attitudes, words, and interests reveal who we are - our strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, goals, and priorities in life.

The people who are in our lives are in our lives for a reason. We have been purposely placed at the locations we live, work, and frequent for a reason and these reasons are much greater than ourselves. May we recognize this fact and live as so. These people and places are our spheres of influence and you hold the power of the way they are influenced.

A friend once told me that there are three things we can do for a person - make them feel the same, worse, or better. The fantastic thing about this is, in most cases, we already know the potential consequences (good and bad) that a spoken word, behavior, or reaction can bring and make someone feel. That is the hard part and it is already done! We have been given the ability to recognize good and evil and right and wrong. May we take control of this ability and utilize it!

One of my speaking points is we only have one life, one body, and one chance to make the best decision in every situation. There is no going back. We cannot undo what we say, a decision we have made, or an impression we have given and we live in a society that is unforgiving and remembers every time you fall; every time you fail to meet perfection.

Your children, spouse, parents, co-workers, friends, neighbors, and community are your sphere of influence. It is time for us to stand up, rid ourselves of the things that hinder and corrupt us, and strive without ceasing to be and live as great examples and as the men and women God has created us to be because there are too many who are lost, who do not know God's love, and who are looking for "something" to fill and satisfy their void. These people in your sphere of influence - their lives, future, and very being - desperately depend on you and need to see God in you. So show them greatness. Show them love. Show how God has changed you. 

What is the point in all of this?

- Live a life that inspires.

- Live a life that encourages.

- Live a life that brings out the best in others.

- Live a life where God's love, fruit, and Spirit shines bright, radiates, and completely captivates others.

- Be an example.

As you do this, watch how you are strengthened and changed. This reward is as sweet as honey.