SAN ANTONIO — During the holidays, many will celebrate with drinks and some will choose to get behind the wheel. An event on Saturday morning is hoping to raise awareness that it's not okay to drink and drive.
Families who lost loved ones to drunk driving gathered at Palo Alto College for the Walk Like MADD Event, hosted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
"My mother was killed 51 years ago tomorrow by a drunk driver," said Suzanne Hildebrand.
Stories like Suzanne's are one of many at today's walk. Palo Alto College President, Dr. Robert Garza welcomed everyone to the campus. Dr. Garza's says seeing the pictures and everyone on the campus, brought back strong emotions.
"When I got the call that my sister was hit, head on by a drunk driver," says Garza.
Garza's sister survived and hopes younger people at the event will get the message, it's not okay to drink and drive.
The walk is an emotional experience for families who gathered to honor and celebrate lives lost at the hands of a drunk or impaired driver. The event raises awareness and funding for MADD to continue their mission to eliminate drunk driving.
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales and SAPD Chief William McManus were there to voice their concerns about the high rates of drunk driving incident in Bexar County. Chief McManus says in 2021 there were 13,384 DWI deaths in the United States. Texas is the state that had the most DWI deaths.
"San Antonio, Houston and El Paso issue the most DWI citations." says McManus.
Also in attendance, dozens of law enforcement officers who are working to stop the violence happening on our roadways.
"I don't know what to do to reduce those numbers. I don't see improvement. I see our DWI Officers working their tails off arresting people, but I just don't see it making a dent in the numbers," says McManus.
Hildebrand says she does a lot of work with law enforcement and understands how hard they work to try to prevent DWI deaths. She says today's walk is an encouragement to continue the fight.
"To see normal people from the community, who haven't dealt with these problems, be here and support is tremendous. It's very important," says Hildebrand.