The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department is planning a crackdown on impaired drivers with a countywide saturation patrol.

The department is prepared to stop and arrest any drunk drivers they see during their patrols over the weekend. Deputies have received specialized training for driving under the influence and driving under the influence of drugs, which will help them identify and remove persons under the influence from the roadways. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012, more than 10,000 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes nationwide. That accounts for one every 51 minutes. Over 800 of those died on California roadways. In 2011, 32,367 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes across the nation and 31 percent of those fatalities occurred in drunk-driving-related crashes. Californians witnessed at total of 2,835 deaths that year with 774 killed in DUI crashes on their streets and highways. 

Funding for saturation patrols are provided to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Anyone spotting a possible drunk driver is asked to call 911.