The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department is reminding residents that if the plan on hoisting up a margarita or cerveza in recognition of Cinco de Mayo, they had better hand the car keys over to someone else.

In the region’s ongoing efforts to stop and arrest impaired drivers, the Avoid the 12 DUI coalition will be deploying extra officers on DUI saturation patrols Thursday evening to keep communities safe. The DUI patrols will be operational from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday morning. Police, sheriff and CHP routine patrols will also remained focused on drivers showing signs of intoxication.

In 2014 there were 343 people killed in motor vehicle crashes over the Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend. Of those 343 people who lost their lives, 34 percent died in drunk-driving crashes, with almost one out of five of all the drivers in the fatal crashes that weekend having blood alcohol concentrations of .15 percent or higher, which is almost two times the legal limit in every state.

The California Office of Traffic Safety Designated Driver VIP mobile app is available for free download on iOS and Android devices. The DDVIP app offers to “Map a Spot” with their current location to find DDVIP partnering establishments in their area or a “List of Spots” to search all participating bars and restaurants throughout California. 

Users will be offered free incentives at each bar to celebrate their life saving role. They can stay up-to-date with the latest from DDVIP and see what other users are saying via its social tab. Also through the app, for those who want to imbibe but also make it a point to plan ahead, users can easily order a sober ride from Uber, Lyft or Curb – all from one screen.