DWI arrests up during fatality-free Fiesta

DWI arrests during Fiesta 2012 DWI arrests during Fiesta 2012 Photo: Mike Fisher Photo: Mike Fisher Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close DWI arrests up during fatality-free Fiesta 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Local officials appear to have gotten their wish: a second consecutive year of no alcohol-related traffic fatalities during the 11 days of Fiesta.

San Antonio police are still determining whether a man who died after he crashed his car on the North Side on Friday night had been drinking beforehand.

Regardless, no one was arrested for intoxication manslaughter — the usual charge when a suspected drunken driver kills someone — during Fiesta.

Even better, the same is true for the whole month of April, which has often been the deadliest month for alcohol-related fatalities. Ten people died in April 2008 and in 2009. In 2010, there were nine deaths. The number dropped to two last April.

Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed said increased law enforcement this year resulted in more arrests for driving while intoxicated: 373, a 10 percent increase over Fiesta 2011. Officials said the stepped-up enforcement and arrests contributed to making the roads safer.

“If we measure how Bexar County is doing (concerning drunken driving) by fatalities, we're in a better position than in the past. This is two years running, so this is good,” Reed said. “I was hoping for this.”

The Texas Department of Transportation approved extra money for added Bexar County Sheriff's Office patrol officers during most of Fiesta, and twice as many Texas Department of Public Safety troopers than usual were on patrol, said Sam Aguirre, a TxDOT transportation funding specialist. TxDOT also again offered $20 cab vouchers to Fiesta participants who didn't designate a driver. The number of people who used the vouchers was not available Monday.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission brought in extra agents to conduct 138 inspections and 52 sting operations that resulted in 58 citations, mostly issued to minors in possession of alcohol, a TABC sergeant said.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving's South Texas affiliate staffed booths for designated drivers at several Fiesta events and they were well-received, said Jennifer Northway, executive director. At the booths, drivers signed pledges to stay sober for the night and were given medals and T-shirts.

“I truly do feel like this was a success, and a testament that we had so many community partners that were committed to a fatality-free Fiesta,” Northway said. “The increased arrests are indicative of our overall (DWI) problem, but I'm thankful that the officers were able to remove these folks from the street before it turned into a fatal situation.”

The number of DWI arrests might seem high, Reed said, but it is less shocking considering the hundreds of thousands of Fiesta-goers.

According to Anne Keever Cannon, spokeswoman for the Fiesta San Antonio Commission, between 500,000 and 700,000 people are believed to have attended the Fiesta Flambeau parade, the most popular Fiesta event. About 300,000 are estimated to have seen the Texas Cavaliers' River Parade, she said, and 350,000 watched the Battle of Flowers parade. About 600,000 people attended the Fiesta de los Reyes at Market Square.

emoravec@express-news.net

Twitter: @EvaRuth