Full Notification

Modesto, CA – Modesto Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint at an undisclosed location within the city limits along with a special DUI Roving Saturation Patrol on Super Bowl weekend.

• DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint is set for Saturday February 5, 2011 from 9:00 PM to 3:00 AM
• A roving DUI Saturation Patrol will be deploying on February 6, 2011 between the hours of 6:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

Modesto PD is reminding everyone that real Super Bowl Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk. If your party’s game plan includes alcohol, make sure you have a designated sober driver in your starting line-up. MPD is asking all party hosts and bar owners to take extra care of designated sober drivers this year. Designated sober drivers make sure everyone gets home safely. For taking on such an important responsibility, they should be rewarded.

Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed 8 lives and resulted in 217 injury crashes harming 323 of our friends and neighbors in Modesto.

Statewide, overall traffic deaths declined by 23 percent, from 3,995 in 2007 to 3,081 in 2009. Total traffic fatalities are at their lowest levels in six decades. DUI deaths declined by 16 percent, from 1,132 in 2007 to 950 in 2009.

These enforcement efforts are funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Remember, everyone is encouraged to help keep our roadways safe; Report Drunk Drivers – Call 911!

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party:
• Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers before kick-off or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers
• Find unique ways to recognize the designated drivers at your party
• Give them a great spot to watch the game
• Whatever non-alcoholic beverage they are drinking, make sure their glass is always full
• Let them have the first pass at the buffet table
• Make sure their cars are easy to access when it is time to start driving people home
• Serve plenty of food
• Offer a variety of non-alcoholic choices like non-alcohol beers, soft drinks, juice, and water
• Serve one drink at a time and serve measured drinks
• Only serve alcohol to guests over 21 years of age
• Determine ahead of time when you’ll stop serving alcohol, such as one hour before the end of the party or at the end of the third quarter of the game (just like NFL stadiums) and begin serving coffee and dessert
• Add the numbers of local cab companies into your phone so they are just one touch away
• Take appropriate steps to prevent anyone from driving while impaired
• Be prepared for guests to spend the night if an alternative way home is not available

If you are attending a Super Bowl party or watching at a sports bar or restaurant:
• Designate your sober driver before the party begins and leave your car keys at home if you plan to drink
• Find unique ways to recognize the designated drivers when you are out at a bar or restaurant
• Offer to be the designated driver the next time you go out
• Cover the cost for parking or even pay for a tank of gas
• Whatever non-alcoholic beverage they are drinking, make sure their glass is always full
• Pick up the tab for their food and drink
• Before you go out, add the numbers for local cab companies in your cell phone so if you find yourself in need of a ride, it is just one touch away
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself—eat enough food, take breaks and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
• Take appropriate steps to prevent anyone from driving while impaired. Remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.
• Always buckle up – it’s your best defense on the road

For information regarding impaired driving efforts and programs in California please contact Chris Cochran, California Office of Traffic Safety at (916) 905-3063 or via email at [email protected].