<\/p>\n
Carly Beatty, 19, was killed in 2019 by an impaired driver in College Station, Texas. This summer TxDOT launches a safe driving initiative to keep impaired drivers off the road.<\/p>\n
Family photo courtesy of the Texas Department of Transportation<\/p>\n
Carly Beatty, a 19-year-old Texas A&M student studying animal science, had a lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian, but she was killed in 2019 by an impaired driver in College Station.<\/p>\n
Beatty was among the 10,142 U.S. fatalities in 2019 due to impaired driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.<\/p>\n
A few weeks after her mom dropped her off at college for her sophomore year, she was hit by the impaired driver while she was walking home. The driver who killed her had a combination of alcohol, THC, cocaine and Xanax in his system, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n
Beatty was buried in Prosper, and her parents reside in Little Elm.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarly did not deserve what happened to her. She had hopes and dreams that have now ended,\u201d said Sue Beatty, Carly\u2019s mother. \u201cHer future is gone because someone chose to drive impaired. Please don\u2019t make that choice. I don\u2019t want any other mother to go through the pain and heartache that I\u2019ve been through. If I can use Carly\u2019s story to impact anybody and convince them not to drive impaired, it\u2019s worth sharing her story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carly Beatty is pictured with her mom, Sue. Family photo courtesy of TxDOT <\/p>\n
Beatty\u2019s mother told TxDOT she wants people to be reminded that ride-share and public transportation are available and there is no reason someone should get behind the wheel impaired.<\/p>\n
TxDOT is launching a summer anti impaired-driving initiative that begins Friday, June 19. The initiative, \u201cDrive Sober. No Regrets,\u201d is beginning ahead of the Fourth of July weekend and aligns with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration\u2019s heightened law enforcement period to keep roads safe this summer.<\/p>\n
From Friday, June 19 through Monday, July 6, police officers across Texas will increase efforts to \u201cidentify and arrest impaired drivers to minimize DUI-related crashes, injuries and fatalities,\u201d according to a TxDOT news release.<\/p>\n
They will also have a former beverage delivery truck driving around Texas to \u201cdeliver sober driving messages.\u201d The truck will have a variety of activities to teach participants about the danger of impaired driving.<\/p>\n
According to TxDOT, there were 2,044 drug- or alcohol-related traffic crashes in Fort Worth alone last year because of impaired driving, which resulted in 60 fatalities and 190 serious injuries.<\/p>\n
Crashing isn\u2019t the only outcome of driving impaired. TxDOT says that a DWI charge can result in up to $17,000 in fines and fees, jail time, and loss of a driver\u2019s license.<\/p>\n
TxDOT says that \u201cdriver sober is the winning goal this summer,\u201d and with the World Cup coming to North Texas, the \u201cmost Texan thing we can do is look out for one another, and that starts with driving like a Texan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDrive Sober. No Regrets\u201d is a part of TxDOT\u2019s \u201cDrive like a Texan: Kind. Courteous. Safe\u201d initiative.<\/p>\n
TxDOT says this initiative is \u201cabout embracing the pride, camaraderie and responsibility of being a Texan on the road. By making thoughtful choices, we can all help keep each other safe.\u201d<\/p>\n