Law Enforcement DUI Task Force Cracking Down On Impaired Drivers This Fourth of July
SANTA ANA, CA (July 2, 2013) – Most Americans may not realize it, but the Fourth of July is one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to alcohol-impaired driving crashes.
This Fourth of July, law enforcement throughout Orange County are stepping up enforcement efforts as part of the ongoing DUI Task Force, joining thousands of agencies statewide in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement crackdown to catch and arrest impaired drivers who put themselves and others at risk. The deputies and officers of the task force will be out in full force this Fourth of July holiday weekend showing zero tolerance for impaired drivers.
Impaired-driving crashes killed more than 10,000 people in 2010, accounting for 31% of all traffic-related fatalities in the United States. That’s an average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality every 51 minutes.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 392 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes during the Fourth of July holiday in 2010. Of those fatalities, 39 percent were in crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08% or higher.
To save lives on our roadways the Orange County DUI Task Force will be cracking down on drug and alcohol impaired driving, deploying officers to DUI/driver’s license checkpoints, and DUI saturation patrols. The CHP will be deploying all available officers onto freeways and county roads for its Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP).
The DUI Task Force recommends these simple tips for a safe Fourth of July:
- Plan a safe way home before the fun begins;
- Before drinking, designate a sober driver;
- If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation;
- If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to report it – Call 911!
- And remember, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.
Orange County Sheriff’s deputies will staff extra DUI units in their contract cities for all four days of the enforcement period, July 4 – July 7.
DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoints:
- Friday, July 5: Orange County Sheriff’s Department, City of Aliso Viejo: 6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
- Friday, July 5: Seal Beach Police Department: 6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
- Friday, July 5: Fountain Valley Police Department: 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
- Saturday, July 6: Brea Police Department: 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
DUI Roving Saturation Patrols:
- Thursday, July 4: In the cities of Orange and Anaheim.
- Friday, July 5: In the cities of Placentia, Costa Mesa, La Habra and Cypress.
California Highway Patrol Maximum Enforcement Period:
- CHP will assign all available officers on the region’s freeways, state highways and unincorporated roads beginning Wednesday, July 3 at 6:00 p.m. through Sunday, July 7 at midnight.
Task Force funding is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.
