Tyler Police Department will have additional officers on the street utilizing the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program for the upcoming holidays. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph File)

For many college students, spring break is a rite of passage. Some plan a vacation with their families, some plan getaways with their friends and some just stay home and veg out after a hard semester.

But spring break can also be a time of reckless behavior, such as drinking and driving which can lead to serious injuries or even fatalities.

According to Forbes, Texas is ranked third (behind Montana and South Dakota) as one of the worst states for drunk driving.

Using National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data covering the years 2017 to 2021, a study was conducted to identify trends in alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes, focusing on those with BAC (blood alcohol content) levels of .08 g/dL or higher and those nearly doubling this limit at .15 g/dL.

Texas topped the ranking with more than four out of every 10 drivers in a fatal crash having a BAC of more than 0.08 g/dL, which is the legal limit in the country.

Over the five-year period that was measured, 11,185 of 27,392 (40.83%) drivers involved in fatal accidents were over the limit, while 7,682 (28.04%) surpassed 0.15 g/dL, nearly double the limit and a point where motor function, speech, and judgment are all severely affected, along with severe impairment of driving skills, according to the study.

Meanwhile, in Tyler, of the 96 reported alcohol/drug related crashes for 2023, one resulted in a fatality.

“That is to me, especially after being a major crimes investigator for 10 years and working with the fatalities alone, is a very good thing,” said Andy Erbaugh, Public Information Officer for the Tyler Police Department. “We either just have fewer incidents of people driving while intoxicated or better enforcement of the DWI laws… either way, they’re both very good things.”

The same report showed that the drug/alcohol-related car crashes only had 45 that resulted in serious injuries.

According to Erbaugh, the local law enforcement agencies implement the Strategic Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grants, an initiative taken by the Texas Department of Transportation to contain car crashes during holidays. These grants are used to bring extra officers to the street and make them oversee strategic traffic enforcement.

Tyler uses this program for every holiday of the year, including spring break.

“I think that is a big factor in keeping the statistics low here in Tyler,” Erbaugh said. “And being able to have paid-to-ride companies, like Uber and Lyft… taxi and bus services here in Tyler, and we’ve had attorneys offering free rides as well, I think all of those combined have helped lower incidents of DWI or a DWI-related fatality.”

While Tyler isn’t considered the biggest spring break destination, with kids being out of school and people driving in and out of the city, there is an increased law enforcement presence during this time of year.

“There’s a lot more traffic in the city… people visiting families, they’re going to see live music, going to the lake… things like that,” Erbaugh said. “So, we use the STEP grant during this time of year to increase our visibility, specifically to enforce these laws.”

The increased police presence will be from March 8 — 18 to cover other spring breaks as well.

As the No. 1 priority is keeping the roads and the people on it safe, law enforcement isn’t looking to stifle anyone’s fun.

“I do want people to understand to take your time getting to where you’re going,” Erbaugh said. “And if you’re planning to go out, have some cocktails or have some drinks, have a plan. Have an Uber, a Lyft or a designated driver a part of your night’s plan. Make getting home safely a part of your plan.”