Help Us Save Lives This Fourth of July
DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze
Independence Day is a time for celebration, so let’s all work together to avoid tragedies on our roadways. The Newport Beach Police Department wants to remind everyone to stay safe behind the wheel, so please help us spread this life-saving message: DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze. Don’t drive under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, or drugs. Impaired driving puts you – and everyone else on the road – in danger.
Next week, officers from the Newport Beach Police Department will be deploying additional officers to arrest alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers. DUI Saturation Patrols will deploy Thursday through Sunday (July 5 through July 8) between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. in areas with high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests. When possible, specially-trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, which now accounts for a growing number of impaired driving crashes.
“We want everyone who lives in or visits our community to have a happy – and safe – Fourth of July,” said Chief Jon T. Lewis. “Let’s all work together to keep our roads accident-free during this holiday, and every day. Get a sober ride home, be a sober designated driver, and call 911 if you see someone driving under the influence… These actions may seem simple, but they could save a life.”
In recent years, California has seen a disturbing increase in drug-related impaired driving crashes. During the four-day Fourth of July holiday period in 2017, 17 people were killed and 430 people were injured in alcohol-involved crashes throughout the state of California. The Newport Beach Police Department supports the new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety to educate all drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a warning about driving or operating machinery on the label, you might be impaired enough to be arrested for DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing (especially when used in combination with alcohol or other drugs) and can result in a DUI arrest.
Prepare for the Fourth of July Celebrations
If you will be drinking, plan your sober ride home before the party begins. Remember these tips for a safe night on the road:
- Designate a sober driver, use public transportation, or use a ride-sharing service to get home safely.
- If a friend or family member is trying to drive while they’re impaired, take away their keys and make arrangements to get them home safely.
- If you see a drunk driver, call 911.
You can also do your part by volunteering to be a designated sober driver. Through the Office Of Traffic Safety’s Designated Driver VIP program, or “DDVIP,” select bars and restaurants are offering a selection of promotions, including non-alcoholic specialty drinks for sober drivers. See http://bit.ly/OTSDDrinks for more information.
The Cost of Drunk Driving
The cost of a ride home is cheap. Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspensions and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.
Here is a final statistic to remember: drunk-driving deaths are 100% preventable.
Funding for this DUI operation is provided to Newport Beach Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Whether by bike, car, motorcycle, or walking, be a part of the solution and ‘Go Safely California’.
To learn more about DDVIP and other OTS awareness, education, and enforcement campaigns, visit www.ots.ca.gov, as well as OTS’s Facebook and Twitter pages: https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaOTS/ and https://twitter.com/OTS_CA?lang=en.
