St. Patrick’s Day DUI enforcement throughout Orange County

SHERIFF-CORONER DEPARTMENT
COUNTY OF ORANGE, CALIFORNIA
NEWS, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Gail Krause, (714) 647-1840

St. Patrick’s Day DUI Enforcement Throughout Orange County

SANTA ANA, California (March 15, 2013) – As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, the Orange County ‘Avoid
the 38’ DUI Task Force is urging motorists to plan a safe ride home and never get behind the wheel drunk
or drugged. During this holiday period, law enforcement agencies throughout Orange County will be on
high alert, cracking down on drunk drivers as part of its Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over public safety
campaign.

“Drunk driving is dangerous, deadly and against the law – and it will not be tolerated in our communities
this St. Patrick’s Day,” said Deputy Wayne Howard with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Traffic
Bureau. “Today we are warning to everyone traveling in Orange County that law enforcement officers will
be out on patrol and if you are caught driving drunk, you will be arrested.”

The Orange County DUI Task Force, which is comprised of 38 law enforcement agencies in Orange
County, will be deploying special roving DUI patrols this St. Patrick’s Day weekend in several communities,
looking to stop and arrest drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs. These DUI patrols are in addition
to regularly scheduled patrol officers.

From 2006 to 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that over 700 people were
killed nationwide in crashes involving drunk drivers during St. Patrick’s Day holidays. On average, every
51 minutes a person is killed in a drunk-driving crash in the United States and the majority of these crashes
involve drivers who have a .15% blood alcohol content or higher, almost twice the legal limit of .08%.

The DUI Task Force recommends the following easy steps to have a safe and happy St. Patrick’s Day:

 Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.
 Before drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
 If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public
transportation to get home safely.
 Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1.
 And remember, if you know someone who is about to drive a car or ride a motorcycle while
impaired, take the keys and help that person make other arrangements to get to where he or
she is going safely.

These enforcement efforts are funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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SANDRA HUTCHENS, SHERIFF-CORONER
550 NORTH FLOWER STREET – P.O. BOX 449
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702-0449 (714) 647-7042

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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