Harris County DA's Office holding servers, sellers accountable to prevent drunk driving

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - The Harris County District Attorney's Office is cracking down on businesses who sell and serve alcohol to people who end up breaking the law. It's part of a task force the DA's office hopes will decrease the overall number of drunk-driving crashes that happen in the city every year. 

Sean Teare is the director of the Harris County District Attorney's Vehicular Crimes Division. 

"I would like there to be more voluntary training that owners and managers can have their servers go through, that protect both the servers, the owners, the managers and the people out there on the roads," Teare said.

Teare said their hope is to make Harris County-- one of the deadliest places in the country to drink and drive-- a safer place, by holding bartenders and store clerks that sell alcohol accountable.

"We're going up the chain in hopes that these people realize, the small percentage start to realize, this isn't worth it. The extra buck they can make by selling to minors or selling to intoxicated people just isn't worth it," Teare said.

Individual businesses are also helping crack down on drunk driving. 

Morgan Weber is the co-owner of Agricole Hospitality, the managing company of a number of Houston bars and restaurants including Eight Row Flint, Night Heron, Coltivare and the Revival Market.

Of Agricole Hospitality's nearly 160 employees, about half can serve alcohol. Weber said all are required by company policy to have a TABC serving license-- something that's otherwise optional in the state of Texas. 

"Before you can even step behind the bar and serve, you have to be certified. We card everyone that comes in. For the last five years in the Heights, we've operated under a private club license so in order to even drink you have to show your ID," Weber said.

Weber said getting TABC certified as a server, teaches bartenders how to identify minors and those too intoxicated to drink anymore, through their appearance and behavior patterns. 

"If you've been sitting here for a few hours and you've knocked a few back, it's pretty easy to tell when someone's had way beyond what they should," Weber said.