From December 18 through January 3, the “Avoid the 23” DUI Task Force was out in full force, targeting one of the deadliest killers on the road: drunk driving. The enforcement was part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, to save lives and make our roads safer. DUI enforcement resulted in far too many drunk driving arrests countywide over the past 17 days.
From 12:01 AM Friday December 18, through Midnight Sunday January 3, 2016 officers representing all San Mateo County law enforcement agencies have arrested 151 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. There were three injuries due to DUI drivers. Last year, the campaign lasted 21 days, and there were 139 arrests. Who knows how many more arrests there would have been this year, had the campaign lasted four more days?
Thousands of lives could be saved each year is everyone drove sober or caught ride after drinking. In 2013 alone, there were 10,076 people killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in the United States. California’s DUI deaths stood at 867 that year. That is almost a third of all the traffic crash fatalities for the year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The San Mateo County DUI Task Force and thousands of law enforcement agencies around the country teamed up with the NHTSA on the high-visibility enforcement campaign this year. The annual effort aims to reduce drunk driving year-round, not just on these few days during the winter holidays. The campaign may be over, but the warning remains: “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”
Law enforcement officials will be conducting more high visibility anti-DUI efforts throughout the county and region again on Super Bowl Sunday, followed by a crackdown on St Patrick’s Day. The Police, Sheriff and the CHP encourage all motorists to help make your community safer: Report Drunk Drivers – Call 911! Any time you encounter a dangerous impaired driver.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
