Orange County DUI Task Force announces DUI crackdown

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Lt. Jeff Hallock, (714) 647-7042 and Gail Krause, (714) 647-1840

Orange County DUI Task Force Joins National Crackdown to Reduce Drunk Driving Fatalities

‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ Campaign Will Target Drunk Drivers

SANTA ANA, California (August 15, 2013) – From mid-August through Labor Day, sheriff, police and CHP officials will be out in force as part of the annual nationwide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown on drunk driving.   The crackdown in Orange County will run from August 16 through September 2, 2013. 

The effective nationwide drunk driving crackdown will include high-visibility enforcement, high-profile events, and will be supported by national paid advertising, creating a comprehensive campaign to curb drunk driving in August and through the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The DUI Task Force will be aggressively looking for drunk drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone caught driving drunk.  Plans are in place for DUI/driver’s license checkpoints, a multi-agency strike team, roving DUI saturation patrols, DUI warrant/probation sweep and DUI court stings targeting suspended drivers who were ordered by the judge not to drive.

Although it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher,  many people across the nation get behind the wheel after consuming too much alcohol.  “Every year, about one third of all motor vehicle traffic deaths involve one or more drunk drivers or motorcycle operators,” said Deputy Wayne Howard of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Traffic Bureau.  “In 2011 9,878 people died in crashes involving drunk drivers.  That works out to approximately one drunk driving fatality every 53 minutes.  In California, 774 died due to the crime of impaired driving. Long weekends such as the Labor Day holiday are particularly dangerous”.

During the Labor Day weekend in 2011, a total of 138 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States involving drivers or motorcycle riders with a BAC of .08% or higher.  Of those fatalities, 83 percent occurred during early evening and overnight, from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.  In California, 11 people were killed during the holiday weekend involving a driver at a .08% BAC or higher.

Drunk driving takes a particularly heavy toll among young drivers.  During the 2011 Labor Day weekend, 42 percent of 18 to 34-year-old drivers killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes were alcohol-impaired.

“Research has shown that high-visibility enforcement like the ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ campaign reduces drunk driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent.  By joining this nationwide effort, we will make California’s roadways safer for everyone throughout the Labor Day period,” said Director Chris Murphy, California Office of Traffic Safety.

“We want to remind everyone that getting behind the wheel drunk is a terrible idea.  Unfortunately, not only does drinking impair your ability to operate a vehicle safely, it also impairs your judgment and good sense about whether you can, or should drive,” said Deputy Howard.  “If you have any doubt about your sobriety, do not get behind the wheel.  If you do chose to drive impaired, you will be arrested.  No warnings. No excuses.”

When a driver is arrested for driving drunk, it brings a wide range of negative consequences into the driver’s life.  Drunk drivers face jail time, loss of their driver licenses, and steep financial consequences such as higher insurance rates, attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job. When family, friends and co-workers find out, violators also often face tremendous personal embarrassment.

For more information, on the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign visit www.TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov.

Grant funding for the DUI Task Force is provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who reminds everyone to report drunk drivers – call 9-1-1.

DUI Enforcement Operations

August/Labor Day Holiday Schedule

SANTA ANA, California (August 15, 2012) – The Orange County ‘Avoid the 38’ Task Force is announcing its upcoming enforcement operations for the August/Labor Day Holiday DUI Campaign.  The schedule of operations and dates:

Sobriety/Driver’s License Checkpoint:

§  Friday, August 16 – City of San Juan Capistrano

§  Saturday, August 24 – Cities of Cypress. La Palma and Seal Beach

§  Thursday, August 29 – City of Seal Beach

§  Friday, August 30 – City of Anaheim

Additional checkpoints will be conducted by the cities of Westminster, Laguna Beach and Irvine.  The dates are yet to be determined.

DUI Saturation Patrols:

§  Friday, August 16 – City of Placentia

§  Friday, August 23 – Cities of Garden Grove and Los Alamitos

§  Monday, August 26 – City of Los Alamitos

§  Friday, August 30 – Cities of Orange, Seal Beach and Placentia

§  Sunday, September 1 – City of Anaheim

Additional saturation patrols will be conducted by the Cal State Fullerton Police Department and the cities of Buena Park and Laguna Beach. The dates are yet to be determined:

Statistical data on the number of DUI arrests and DUI fatal crashes will be released throughout the holiday campaign.

Funding for the “Avoid” program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NOTE:  Media are invited to ride-along with law enforcement or may join Task Force & checkpoint operations in our county throughout the holiday campaign by contacting the individuals listed above.

Art Pedroza Editor

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.

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