Law enforcement officers throughout Santa Clara County have arrested 215 motorists on suspicion of DUI since Aug. 17, according to the sheriff’s office.
The arrests are part of the annual summer holiday campaign known as “Avoid the 13” to crack down on impaired driving. The effort includes weekend “saturation patrols” and DUI checkpoints conducted by participating agencies, including Morgan Hill police.
Last year during the same time period, agencies throughout the county arrested 242 DUI suspects, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Jose Cardoza.
Morgan Hill police conducted a DUI checkpoint Friday night at Dunne Avenue and Joleen Way. Officers arrested two motorists on suspicion of DUI at that checkpoint, Hoefling said.
Two other DUI suspects were arrested in traffic stops elsewhere in the city Friday night, Hoefling added.
Officers at the checkpoint also wrote six citations for unlicensed drivers, or motorists driving while not in possession of their license, authorities said.
A total of 794 vehicles went through the checkpoint, Hoefling said.
The DUI crackdown will continue this weekend, with the Labor Day holiday expected to put more drivers on the roads, Cardoza said.
Police in Morgan Hill and Gilroy will enhance the effort with “saturation patrols” in their respective communities, police said.
The Avoid the 13 campaign is funded annually by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
