At least 59 motorists were arrested for drunken driving in Santa
Clara County during the weekend, which marked the beginning of the
countywide
”
Avoid the 13
”
holiday DUI crackdown.
Gilroy
At least 59 motorists were arrested for drunken driving in Santa Clara County during the weekend, which marked the beginning of the countywide “Avoid the 13” holiday DUI crackdown.
According to Sgt. Don Morrissey of the SCC sheriff’s office, that number is down from the same weekend last year, when 86 people were arrested for DUI over the two-day period.
The Gilroy Police Department arrested eight DUI suspects over the weekend, according to Sgt. Robert Locke-Paddon. None of those arrests involved traffic accidents.
Of those arrested last weekend, Morgan Hill police arrested 13 DUI suspects, Sgt. Jerry Neumayer said. He said the department had two extra officers on local roads Friday and Saturday night, as they will every weekend during the “Avoid the 13” campaign, which started Friday and runs until Jan. 2.
Having extra officers on patrol is possible due to a $661,000 grant funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety. The grant funds are distributed among 13 law enforcement agencies in the county, and allow the agencies to add overtime hours for officers to do extra patrols and sobriety checkpoints and conduct public awareness campaigns.
Speaking at a press conference kicking off the current enforcement campaign at the sheriff’s office Friday, Morgan Hill Police Chief Bruce Cumming, who is the chair of the Avoid the 13 committee, said during last year’s holiday enforcement efforts, 859 people were arrested for DUI in Santa Clara County, and one person was killed in an accident involving a drunken driver.
During 2007, Cumming said 6,976 people were arrested for DUI throughout the county, and 34 people lost their lives in drunk driving accidents. In the state of California last year, 1,491 people were killed as a result of drunken driving.
“The message is simple,” Cumming said. “Impaired driving creates serious consequences. If (drunk drivers) don’t end up with death, they will end up with a serious injury or a lot of legal bills. Take precautions and plan ahead. Designate a sober driver, call a taxi or stay at home and drink.”
In Morgan Hill, 92 people were arrested for DUI during the holiday campaign last year, and 67 were arrested the year before that, according to Neumeyer.
“During Avoid we do have people out there assigned to do nothing but DUI enforcement, and are seeking those kind of arrests,” said Neumeyer. “Odds are, we’re going to have more arrests during that season (than any other time of the year).”
Cumming urged drivers to call 911 on their cell phones if they notice a driver operating a vehicle erratically or dangerously on the roads.
The Avoid the 13 campaign has occurred every year since 1973. The state grant made available to local agencies will also fund extra patrols and checkpoints on other high-risk holidays coming up in 2009, including Cinco de Mayo, St. Patrick’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday.
More information on the Avoid the 13 campaign is available at www.californiaavoid.org.
