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Austin-Area DPS Troopers Out In Force During Busy Holiday Travel


Almost 43 million Americans are expected to hit the road for the thanksgiving holiday. And about half of those travelers are expected to leave Wednesday.

Texas Department of Public Safety Officer Robbie Barrera, like many other law enforcement, says their goal is not to ticket, but get voluntary compliance.

“You have to make sure everyone is buckled up in the vehicle, you have to drive the speed limit, you have to give yourself enough following distance and give yourself enough time to get where you are traveling,” said Barrera.

During Thanksgiving weekend last year in the Austin area, DPS troopers arrested 393 individuals for driving while intoxicated, issued more than 7,400 speeding citations and ticketed more than 900 people for safety restraint violations.

Some who have been on the road have already seen distracted drivers.

“I actually did see this guy while he was texting, he was rammed by a Chevy truck. Messed that car all the way up,” said Rod Denny

David Malave said, “Sometimes there are people on the phone and stuff.”

“What we do see increase is the number of traffic crashes that we work,” said Barerra.

Officer Barrera hopes as more officers patrol the highways around Central Texas, they can prevent more accidents from happening.

DPS says that if you are stranded on the side of the road, you can look on the back of your driver’s license and call Texas Roadside Assistance at 1-800-525-5555.

By Christie Post