OC DUI Task Force to crack down on drunk drivers on Memorial Day weekend

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                               
Contacts: Lt. Jeff Hallock, JHallock@ocsd.org; Emily Osterberg, EOsterberg@ocsd.org

Memorial Day Weekend Holiday DUI Crackdown

SANTA ANA, Calif. – (May 21, 2014) – The Orange County ‘Avoid the 38’ DUI Task Force is deploying deputies and officers this holiday weekend to DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols countywide to stop and arrest drunk or drugged drivers and to heighten awareness of the deadly combination that alcohol, drugs and driving can have on this first holiday weekend of the summer season.

The County’s DUI Task Force begins Friday night by deploying DUI/Driver’s License checkpoints in the cities of Anaheim, Placentia, Seal Beach and Yorba Linda.  Special DUI Saturation Patrols will also be deploying throughout the weekend in the cities of Brea, Cypress, La Palma, Seal Beach, Tustin, Irvine (UCI Police Department), Westminster and several other cities within the Orange County Sheriff’s Department contracted area.  The California Highway Patrol is deploying all available officers Memorial Day weekend onto freeways and county roads as part of their Maximum Enforcement Period.

This summer law enforcement is sending two messages: 1) Don’t drink and drive or ride with someone who has been drinking and 2) Extra deputies and officers will be working to stop and arrest those who drive impaired.

The Avoid Task Force is asking for everyone’s support this holiday weekend and all summer long:

Plan ahead.  Arrange rides home for your friends, family, co-workers and yourself before the drinking begins.

Limit drinks to your guests or patrons.  Don’t serve more than one or two drinks over several hours.

Identify and provide free non-alcoholic drinks to the Designated Sober Driver.  For tasty drink recipes, visit the DDrink Mixology Center at www.facebook.com/CaliforniaOTS.
If you are the Designated Driver, download the special Smartphone app that makes you the VIP, with free non-alcoholic drinks and other giveaways – www.ddvipca.com.

Cut back on the amount of drinks you plan to bring to the party and provide plenty of food.

Report drunk drivers – Call 9-1-1!

The Task Force will also be deploying checkpoints and DUI patrols during the Independence Day Holiday and for the summer August/Labor Day DUI Mobilization.

Funding for the Avoid DUI Task Force is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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