A summer mobilization effort aimed at catching drunken drivers during the unofficial final days of summer began Friday.
The Stanislaus County Avoid the 12 DUI Task Force is planning sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols for the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign extending through Sept. 3.
DUI/ Driver’s License Checkpoints, Multi Agency DUI Task Force deployments and roving DUI patrols are scheduled locally in partnership with law enforcement nationwide during the Summer/Labor Day Campaign.
In 2010 there were 791 people who died in California traffic collisions in which a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal limit, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. The age group with the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle traffic collisions was the 21-to-24 age group.
“On average there is one alcohol impaired driving-related fatality every 51 minutes across America. But this tragic loss of life can be reduced if we get impaired drivers off our roadways,” said Turlock Police Sgt. Neil Cervenka. “Research has shown that high-visibility enforcement like the 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' campaign reduces alcohol-impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent. By joining this statewide wide effort, we will make Stanislaus County’s roadways safer for everyone throughout the Labor Day period.”
The CHP, police and sheriff deputies will be looking for impaired drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone they find driving while impaired. The CHP will deploy all available officers during the Labor Day holiday weekend onto freeways and county roads they patrol.
“Obviously we want to remind everyone that it is illegal to drive impaired, and we hope the campaign will remind people that if they plan on drinking, to never get behind the wheel,” said Cervenka. “But if someone does choose to drive impaired, we will arrest them. No warnings. No excuses.”
The “Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown is led by the California Office of Traffic Safety, with the California Avoid DUI Task Force Campaign combining high-visibility enforcement, heightened public awareness, and impaired driving deterrence through publicity. The Program is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.