Summer driving campaign highlights an A&M student

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - The Texas Department of Public Transportation launched a new campaign centered around an A&M student.

The campaign is called ‘Drive Sober. No Regrets.’ and it is a yearly campaign from TxDOT. This year’s campaign highlighted the story of Carly Beatty, a Texas A&M student studying animal science who was killed by an impaired driver in 2019.

Carly’s mom, Sue Beatty, said Carly was her only daughter, and she had a big heart for people and animals.

“She had a rare quality of making you feel, everybody feel valued, loved, and important.” Beatty said.

Now, Carly’s story is at the center of the ‘Drive Sober, No Regrets’ campaign, which launched as summer activities such as the World Cup and Fourth of July are picking up. TxDOT Public Information Officer Bob Colwell said in 2025, there were over 23,000 alcohol or drug-related crashes in Texas, and killed more than a thousand people and here in Bryan, more than 1,200 crashes resulted in six deaths that same year.

“We are very thankful that they opened up to us to work with us to share Carly’s story, and we don’t want this to happen to anyone, and that’s the reason that we take this campaign very seriously and are trying to prevent this from happening,” Colwell commented.

Beatty said being in a college town makes the message more urgent with more pedestrians on the road and more chances for impaired driving.

“It’s so important to get out there to not drive impaired,” Beatty remarked. “Don’t make that choice because you have a higher risk of injuring someone or having a fatality.”

Since Carly’s passing, the Beatty family created the non-profit Carly’s Way, which honors Carly’s legacy by helping animals and raising awareness on the dangers of impaired driving.

When going to celebrations, it is important to make a plan, such as having a designated driver or calling a ride share to get to your destination safely. The campaign runs through the Fourth of July weekend. TxDOT said to expect increased law enforcement on the roads during the holiday weekend.