A focused effort by the Turlock Police Department to get drunk drivers off the roads, resulted in 16 arrests during a three-week period that ended on Labor Day.

The enforcement efforts were part of a national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over mobilization campaign, where additional officers were on patrol throughout the country to take suspected impaired drivers off the road.  
Among those arrested locally, two of the drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of drugs.  
In addition to patrols, Turlock Police Department held a DUI checkpoint on Aug. 18, leading to two DUI arrests.  
Drunk driving crashes accounted for nearly one-third of all traffic deaths in the state in 2021, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.
First-time charges for DUI in California are an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, which could include a suspended driver's license.  
The Turlock Police Department reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Cannabis products, illicit drugs, even prescription and over-the-counter medications, may impair. Although the campaign is over, Turlock Police officers will continue to look for drivers that are impaired or under the influence. As a reminder, if you feel different, you drive different.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.