HOUSTON – Mindy Red adorns 10 Christmas trees on her front lawn. She isn’t messing with decorations but instead fixing pictures of drunk driving victims.
“They serve as a reminder to think before you drink,” Red said. “When people drive past this street, they know what these trees are.”
Red got the idea a few years ago at a court event with a similar tree honoring murder victims.
“It was sadly beautiful,” she said. “I hate the holidays. I’ve despised the holidays since my daughter was killed in 2009. I was like, ‘That would be something that would give me purpose during the holidays, is giving a voice to those taken by impaired, distracted, drunk driving.’”
Red’s daughter Michelle was killed in 2009 by a drunk driver. The driver served five years in prison and now works with Red at speaking engagements sharing their stories.
Red said she gets messages from across the country from people wanting to add their loved one’s picture to the trees.
“It can be a lot sometimes and so especially when I get someone, it’s an ultrasound picture and that’s all they have, or you know an infant child or an entire family being wiped out. And I hear their stories and their names,” she said.
According to TxDOT, in the Houston District in 2022, there were 151,169 traffic crashes, resulting in 764 fatalities and 3,962 serious injuries. The Houston District consists of Harris, Waller, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Montgomery, and Galveston counties. In the Houston District in 2022, there were 4,911 DUI-alcohol-related traffic crashes, resulting in 230 fatalities and 440 serious injuries.
TxDOT’s Danny Perez said the number for 2023, so far, appears to trend down.
“We look at the percentages per day. We see a slight tick downward but there’s still a lot of work to do,” said Perez.
To keep the numbers down, Perez said TxDOT follows three E’s: education, engineering, and enforcement.
“On (the) engineering side, we look at ways to improve safety on our roadways. That can be signage, it could be woven into our construction projects,” Perez said. “Education is getting out talking to the public about these safety initiatives, drinking and driving. And of course, enforcement working with our law enforcement. We have grants that we provide to law enforcement they can utilize for overtime, going after violators, speeders, people that have been drinking and driving.”
Red said the ‘Trees of Angels’ is her way of getting fatalities down by teaching her neighbors.
“This has also given me purpose because I know, again, people in this area, they know what these trees are, so they’re going to think before getting behind that wheel after they have (a) drink,” Red said.