Aggies speak out about the dangers of drunk driving

A high-profile, alcohol-involved car accident has ignited concerns among some students about campus safety.

On Aug. 29, NHL All-Star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed while riding bicycles on the side of a country road in Salem County, New Jersey. The driver has been charged with two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide, which include allegations he was under the influence when he hit the men.

Four Texas A&M students were asked to brainstorm solutions for the driving under the influence issue as well as describe concerns they have about pedestrian safety in Bryan-College Station after the recent national headlines about the deaths. 

According to the 2017 Texas Student Center for Substance Studies, 18% of Texas college students reported driving after drinking at least once a month. Around 1,519 college students ages 18-24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

A culture change is needed to reduce the number of drunk drivers in Bryan-College Station, biology junior Isabella De Luna said.

“They can start making drinking and driving not cool again because, in recent social media, it’s kind of become a joke,” De Luna said. “They got to start bullying people for that again because it’s not funny or OK.”

Business sophomore William Blackburne said he thinks free-ride transportation programs created by the university and Bryan-College Station city officials could reduce drunk driving, especially if they help students at Northgate get home safely.

“I think I’ve heard of campuses where, after a certain time, Uber or the rideshare apps where stuff happens are free,” Blackburne said.

Human resources post-grad Calee Carter, who bartends on Northgate, said she believes the Bryan-College Station area should provide more types of transportation for those under the influence of alcohol.

“We have Uber and Lyft, but sometimes when someone is so intoxicated, they might not be able to get on their phone to order it,” Carter said. “Having more transportation services for people in those conditions would be helpful.”

Two students said the death of the Gaudreaus raised concerns about safety along campus roads. Considering pedestrian traffic fatalities increased 30% in Texas from 2018 to 2022, Blackburne said he thinks improvements could be made to increase pedestrian safety on campus.

“I definitely think at some places there could be more flashing lights,” Blackburne said. “I do sometimes see stop signs that might be in hard-to-see places.”

More road signs could help alert drivers to nearby pedestrians, he added.

De Luna said she believes some of the reported 5,766 pedestrian accidents in Texas, which resulted in 830 deaths in 2022, could have been caused by poor city infrastructure.

“I think having such a busy road [University Drive] next to Northgate has always been scary because there’s always people walking around there,” De Luna said.

According to the City of College Station blog, alcohol and drugs affect judgment, decision-making and reaction speed. While most people understand the dangers of driving under the influence, being intoxicated while walking can be just as hazardous. The Governor’s Highway Safety Association reported one-third of pedestrian deaths involve a person whose blood alcohol concentration is above the legal limit for driving.

Holding friends accountable and making sure they are responsible when they drink is important, biomedical science junior Shawn Mohseni said. There should always be a designated driver, Mohseni said, so that no one under the influence panics and drives — or walks — home drunk.

“If you know a friend should not be driving, make sure to take their keys and keep them safe,” Mohseni said. “I would rather a friend of mine be upset at me for not letting them drive home than for me to disregard their decisions and put their life and the lives of others at risk.”