Where are you going for your spring break? Many of you are probably going to party, many of you are probably just going to stay home and work, and some of you are going to catch up on some much needed house work, and a select few are possibly considering going to a beach. Many people have been hearing about the dangers going on at the Mexican border regarding such issues as drug trafficking and violence. But how dangerous could South Padre Island actually be? After all, it is still part of the United States. The dangerous activities have caused South Padre Island to be the sixth most dangerous destination for college and high school students to have spring break. I decided to further research the matter, but I have been having trouble finding much of anything out of the ordinary in the South Padre news. I have had no trouble finding a ton of articles that talk about the parties going on in South Padre Island. Some of the articles talked about 40,000 people have come from Chicago, to Kansas City for South Padre’s sandy beaches and warm weather to get away from the cold, snowy weather. One couple that was interviewed said that this will be their twentieth year coming to South Padre for spring break. South Padre Island’s police officers have also asked for help from many surrounding places as far as Galveston to tighten the patrol and crack down on drug use. Executive director of the South Padre Island Visitor and Convention Bureau, Dan Quandt says, they're not comparing apples to oranges. They're using stats that compare crime to our resident population, not our daily population, and South Padre is the most tourist-oriented town in Texas.” Are we in the day and age where trying to find a safe, fun, alcohol lush destination to sit back and relax has become obsolete. In all fairness to South Padre and all the other spring break destinations on the most dangerous list, when you have so many teenagers in one spot, with an abundance amount of alcohol, there is going to be a few bad apples who can’t control themselves. Some of the local reports indicated that in past spring breaks, there were about 30 overnight arrests during the busy spring breaks season. This is peanuts compared to the 40,000 who are visiting during this time period. Regarding the drug cartels and the gang related violence along the Texas and Mexican border, experts and people in the know are expressing that as long as you stay on the island and don’t go to the Mexican border towns there should not be any abnormal dangers. As long as the vacationer is smart and follow good instincts, there should be no problem with this particular vacation destination. I have weighed the pros and cons and have decided that because there are not any significant and immediate dangers, I feel that going to South Padre this spring break will be fun and exciting.
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