Sue Beatty, a Frisco resident, has joined forces with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to promote the agency’s summer "Drive Sober. No Regrets" campaign. The initiative aims to raise awareness about the risks of operating a vehicle while impaired, drawing on Beatty’s personal experience with the fatal consequences of such actions.
Beatty’s advocacy stems from the death of her daughter, Carly Beatty, who was 19 years old at the time of the accident. On September 21, 2019, Carly was struck by a sport utility vehicle in Brazos County, where she was attending Texas A&M University. She was airlifted to a Houston hospital and later removed from life support after suffering severe injuries, including head trauma and internal bleeding. The driver involved had alcohol, THC, cocaine, and Xanax in his system. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2022 and is scheduled for a parole hearing in March.
Beatty has spent years sharing her daughter’s story with schools, support groups, and transportation organizations across North Texas. She plans to attend the upcoming parole hearing to argue against granting the driver release. According to data from The Dallas Morning News, Carly was one of three alcohol-involved crash fatalities in Brazos County in 2019. Statewide, TxDOT reported 1,254 impaired driving deaths in the previous year, averaging three fatalities per day. Between 2019 and 2024, Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties recorded nearly 2,000 such deaths.
The campaign emphasizes that impairment extends beyond alcohol to include prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs. Beatty stated that every impaired driving crash begins with a choice to drive, a decision she hopes drivers will reconsider. TxDOT’s efforts align with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration goals to increase law enforcement presence on major roads during high-risk periods. Beatty expressed a desire for a day with no impaired driving deaths before she passes away.
