Austin, Texas ? Get fall-down drunk in a Texas bar and it may cost more than a bruised backside. Try $500 or a few hours in jail.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is sending undercover officers into bars to look for the exceedingly drunk, issuing citations or making arrests for public intoxication even if the patrons haven’t left the building.

“Drinking is fine,” said agency spokeswoman Carolyn Beck. “But when people drink too much, they become dangerous to themselves and other people.”

The program is aimed at reducing drunken driving. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Texas had 1,264 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 2004, the most in the nation.

The crackdown is aimed not only at those who are drunk, but at the bars and bartenders who continue to serve them. So far, it has resulted in about 2,200 arrests or citations across the state.