With the Fourth of July holiday weekend in effect, city, county and state officials are all sending the same message: Do not drink and drive.

More troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety will be on the roads through the holiday weekend with a sobering reminder of the price you pay when drinking and driving. 

Investigators say alcohol is likely a factor in a Brownsville crash that occurred earlier this week that left a mother dead and her two children hospitalized. 

RELATED: 1 dead, several hospitalized after crash in Brownsville, police say

 The Cameron County District Attorney's office says the family was coming home from the beach. 

And across the state this weekend, DPS troopers will be on the lookout - hoping traffic stops stay down like they did during the pandemic.

It has always been consistent here in the Rio Grande Valley but there was a decrease because there wasn't as much activity taking place,” DPS spokesman Lt. Christopher Olivarez said, adding that troopers are on the lookout for more than suspected drunk drivers. 

"Citations for speeding, not wearing a safety belt - especially children. We want to make sure the children are secure in proper child seats,” Olivarez said.

Data from last Fourth of July shows nearly 16,000 people were cited for speeding, and stops like those will cost you.

"Citations can range from a couple hundred dollars to $1,000,” Olivarez said, adding that the safest thing to do is to make plans ahead of time. 

"If you are going to drink, get a rideshare, a designated driver, a taxi, but do not drink and drive,” Olivarez said. “Because if you do, you will get arrested and you will get prosecuted."