Texans have no doubt seen the Department of Transportation's highway billboards during the holiday season warning: "Drink, drive, go to jail." Texas drivers need to heed that warning – the Lone Star State was recently ranked the third worst state for drunk driving in 2023.

The report by Forbes Advisor revealed Texas' troubling statistics regarding drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes. According to Forbes' data, 42.37 percent of all traffic deaths in Texas are caused by drunk drivers. The state also had the third-highest rate of underage drunk drivers involved in fatal car crashes: 0.94 per 100,000 licensed drivers.

There are nearly 340 DUI arrests made per 100,000 licensed drivers in Texas, and more than five people are killed in car crashes involving a drunk driver for every 100,000 Texans, according to the report.

"Despite widespread efforts by the federal government to educate the public on the dangers of drunk driving, far too many people continue to ignore the trend," the report's author wrote.

Texans who want to avoid a DUI charge this holiday season should consider carpooling with a designated driver, taking public transportation when accessible, or using a rideshare service.

Overall, four of the top 10 worst states for drunk driving are not in the South, but in the West. Montana topped the list as the worst state for drunk driving, with the highest rates of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes for every 100,000 licensed drivers and for the number of people killed in crashes involving a drunk driver.

The top 10 worst states for drunk driving in 2023 are:

• No. 1 – Montana
• No. 2 – South Dakota
• No. 3 – Texas
• No. 4 – Wyoming
• No. 5 – North Dakota
• No. 6 – Oregon
• No. 7 – New Mexico
• No. 8 – South Carolina
• No. 9 – Missouri
• No. 10 – Oklahoma

In the report's analysis of the states with the lowest rates of drunk driving, six out of the top 10 are located in the Northeast: New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.

Forbes Advisor ranked all 50 states across six metrics, including the number of DUI arrests per 100,000 licensed drivers, the percentage of total traffic deaths caused by drivers with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 or higher, and more. The statistics were compiled using the most recent data from the National Highways Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the NHTSA's Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST), and the Department of Transportation.

The full report and its methodology can be found on forbes.com.