BEAUMONT, Texas — New Year's Eve is approaching and Southeast Texans are preparing to ring in 2023 with family and friends.
The Beaumont Police Department is sending a warning out about how driving under the influence can impact your life and the life of others.
Across Texas, there were more than 25,000 DWI crashes in 2022 and of those crashes, 1,000 people died, according to IDriveSafely.com.
"it's very important for people to have a plan, that's the first thing that people need to do when they expect to go out and to be consuming alcohol. We know that intoxication brings impaired-ness and with that we see crashes happen often," said Beaumont Police Officer Haley Morrow.
Sometimes plans go wrong and if your designated driver is no longer sober, you can always use a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft.
If you need to sober up, Morrow recommends you not be in the front seat of your vehicle.
"We prefer for you to not be in the vehicle at all if possible, but we definitely don't want people behind the wheel and driving their car intoxicated," Morrow said.
Beaumont Police say in 2021 they made over 170 DWI arrests, which is a Class B Misdemeanor carrying fines of $2,000 and up to 180 days in jail.
A driver who causes harm to others, has harsh consequences.
"If you're driving and your intoxicated and you've caused a crash and you've injured whether it be somebody in your vehicle or somebody in another vehicle and you've seriously injured them, that's intoxication assault and that is a felony a present sentence of up to 10 years," said Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Shana Clark.
if the accident results in the death of another person, this intoxication manslaughter charge may result in up to 20 years in prison.
"Days in jail that can mean a bond, that could mean needing a lawyer, that can mean you missed school or work, and you've lost your job. It can affect your family life so there's just so much that can be affected by your choice to get behind the wheel," Morrow said.