Full Notification

While there are still three days left in the enforcement period, so far 110 people have been arrested for DUI in Santa Barbara County during this year’s Winter Holiday Anti-DUI crackdown. The arrests were a result of local routine traffic enforcement and special Avoid the 12 DUI deployments in Santa Barbara County.  Last year’s Winter Holiday crackdown resulted in a total of 146 DUI arrests during the entire 20-day Winter Holiday Campaign period.  These DUI arrests were made by an officer from one of the 12 Santa Barbara County law enforcement agencies and include drivers that were impaired by alcohol and/or drugs.

Tragically, CHP is investigating an alcohol/drug related traffic collision fatality which occurred in the Santa Maria area on the evening of December 28, 2014.   Last year, there was one drug related traffic collision fatality during this same time period. (**NOTE: This year’s numbers are only provisional with some agencies yet to report**)          

During the final days of the campaign, extra DUI Saturation Patrols will be deployed in the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Santa Maria and Lompoc.  All regularly scheduled traffic and patrol officers will continue to focus efforts at stopping and arresting DUI drivers during their normal shifts.  The CHP is deploying all available officers for their second Maximum Enforcement Period on the New Year’s Holiday which runs from 6:00 p.m. December 31, 2014 through midnight January 1, 2015.

This region-wide, 21-day Winter Holiday Campaign crackdown, has entailed multiple DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoints, DUI Saturation Patrols, Warrant Sweeps, Court Sting Operations and all regularly scheduled patrol officers focusing efforts at stopping and arresting DUI drivers throughout Santa Barbara County.

Motorists are encouraged to help make their community safer and Report Drunk Drivers – Call 911!  Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. DUI arrest data collection will continue through the New Year, Thursday, January 1, 2015.