The Texas Department of Transportation has initiated a heightened enforcement campaign targeting impaired drivers ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The initiative, titled "Drive Sober, No Regrets," runs through July 6 and involves police agencies across the state working to identify and arrest individuals driving under the influence.
The campaign honors the memory of Carly Beatty, a 19-year-old Texas A&M University student who was killed in 2019 near College Station. An intoxicated driver struck Carly while she was walking home alongside two friends. Her mother, Sue Beatty, who resides in Frisco, is a central figure in the current outreach efforts. Frisco is located approximately 12 miles northwest of Plano.
Sue Beatty established the nonprofit organization Carly’s Way in 2019. The group was created to support her daughter’s original goal of helping animals, providing resources to local animal shelters. The organization also focuses on raising public awareness regarding the dangers of impaired driving.
Describing her daughter, Sue Beatty noted that Carly possessed a strong compassion for people and animals. She recalled that Carly had expressed a desire to become a veterinarian since she was three years old. Sue Beatty emphasized that no celebration or night out justifies the permanent regret associated with drunk driving fatalities.
State data highlights the scale of the issue. TxDOT reported that 1,254 individuals died on Texas roads in 2025 due to drivers choosing to operate vehicles while impaired. Within the Dallas and Fort Worth metropolitan areas specifically, 258 deaths were attributed to intoxicated drivers during that same period. This figure averages to nearly one fatality per weekday across the region.
