AUSTIN, Texas — It’s no secret that Austin City Limits (ACL) brings a lot of people to Austin, and with the surge of people comes concerns for safety.
With the huge influx of visitors and residents flocking to Zilker Park, the main concern is driving around the park in either a car, scooter or bicycle.
“There’s going to be a higher amount of pedestrian traffic, there may be a higher amount of micro-mobility, like scooters or bicycles. So if you’re driving around, especially in Central Austin, make sure that you’re exercising caution,” said Austin Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) Captain Christa Stedman.
Last year, KVUE reported that a festival attendee broke their wrist and hand after crashing into a pothole in the road after leaving the ACL festival grounds. In addition to collisions on micro-mobility devices, theft remains a large concern ahead of any festival or event.
Also last year, the Austin Police Department recovered nearly 300 stolen phones during Weekend 1 of ACL.
“Please avoid putting your cellphones in your back pocket or sticking out of your backpack," APD Corporal Destiny Silva said. "It’s not a secure location.”
APD also urges caution when it comes to accepting drugs. In 2014, KVUE's San Antonio sister station, KENS 5, reported that a woman died after she took "molly," the street name for ecstasy, during the festival.
“A lethal dose of fentanyl is as small as a grain of sand, so please please don’t take anything where you don’t know where it came from,” Silva said.
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