SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - The San Luis Obispo County DUI Avoid the 14 Task Force will be aggressively looking for impaired drivers during a scheduled crackdown during the current holiday season. Enforcement will include several agencies including the California Highway Patrol, which will deploy all available officers during a pair of maximum enforcement periods. The special enforcement period will be December 14, 2012 through January 1, 2013, with the maximum enforcement period running on Christmas and New Years Weekends. For additional information, see story below.
Story provided by San Luis Obispo Police Department
Heads up to holiday party-goers! To help save lives this holiday season, law enforcement from 14 agencies are launching a special "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" crackdown to stop impaired drivers and to save lives on our roadways.
The San Luis Obispo County DUI Avoid the 14 Task Force is announcing that officers and deputies will be aggressively looking for impaired drivers and will arrest anyone caught driving under the influence. Enforcement efforts will include: 2 DUI/Drivers License Checkpoints, 12 local DUI saturation patrols, a Multi-Agency DUI Taskforce strike team patrol, and a DUI Warrant/Probations sweep. The CHP will deploy all available officers during two Maximum Enforcement Periods – Christmas and New Years Weekends. The special enforcement crackdown will run from December 14, 2012, through January 1, 2013. (See attached Enforcement Schedule of Operations)
"It's everyone's responsibility to do what they can to keep our roads safe during this holiday season. In keeping with this thought, police agencies throughout San Luis Obispo County will be enhancing enforcement efforts to protect the public from drivers who choose to drive while impaired by drugs or alcohol. There are simply no excuses for risking the lives of others by getting behind the wheel when your ability to control a vehicle is diminished. Identify a designated driver ahead of time if you plan on drinking and ensure this season will be filled with only positive memories." Steve Gesell, San Luis Obispo Chief of Police.
During 2010, more than 10,000 people were killed nationwide in motor vehicle traffic crashes involving an impaired driver and in Californian 791 people died on our state's streets and highways. There were 17 individuals killed in San Luis Obispo County that year.
The holiday season is a particularly dangerous time. During December 2010, 30 percent of all fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crash involved alcohol-impaired drivers. Data also shows that among those alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities, 71 percent occurred when drivers had nearly twice the legal limit blood alcohol concentration of .15 % BAC or higher.
Heads Up – violators face jail time, loss of driver license, and steep financial consequences such as higher insurance rates, attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job.
The Avoid the 14 Coalition said there are three simple steps people can take to stay safe and out of trouble:
- Plan ahead. If you will be drinking, do not plan on driving. Designate a sober driver or find another safe way home. Even one too many drinks increases the risk of a crash while driving a motor vehicle.
- If you are impaired, find another way home. Use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, use public transportation or Ride-On at (805) 541-8747
- Be responsible. If someone you know is drinking, do not let them get behind the wheel. If you see an impaired driver on the road, Report Them - Call 911! Your actions may save someone's life, and inaction could cost a life.
"We want everyone to enjoy their holidays, but we also want our roadways to be safe," said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. "Police, Sheriffs and the CHP will be out in force to help save lives, and they are not going to tolerate impaired driving. So remember, ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.' They will be watching."
The national Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown is led by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and NHTSA, with the California Avoid DUI Task Force Campaign combining high-visibility enforcement and heightened public awareness through publicity. The program is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety.
