Law enforcement agencies in Santa Clara County reported at least
115 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
during the Memorial Day weekend.
Law enforcement agencies in Santa Clara County reported at least 115 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the Memorial Day weekend.
The arrests were the result of the ongoing Avoid the 13 campaign, characterized by heightened enforcement of drunk driving violations. Thirteen agencies in the county, including the Morgan Hill Police Department and California Highway Patrol, participate in the annual holiday DUI crackdown.
The holiday arrests took place from 12:01 a.m. Friday until 12 midnight Monday, according to SCC Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Don Morrissey. During the same three-day period surrounding Memorial Day 2008, the agencies arrested 111 people for impaired driving.
Enforcement tactics last weekend included the use of sobriety checkpoints at major intersections and saturation patrols throughout the county, Morrissey said.
Morgan Hill Police reported a sober holiday on local roads, with only two DUI arrests during the three-day weekend, according to Cmdr. David Swing.
The Avoid the 13 campaign will continue this summer, with agencies conducting more anti-DUI efforts during the July 4 and Labor Day holidays, plus three crackdowns in August.
Avoid the 13 started in 1973, and is funded annually by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
