Officers representing 13 county law enforcement agencies arrested 422 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to a final “Avoid the 13” report released Jan. 5 by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department.
From Dec. 12 through midnight Jan. 1, law enforcement conducted its Winter Holiday “Avoid the 13” DUI Campaign, using sobriety checkpoints, special saturation patrols and routine patrol.
The DUI arrests were down for the 20-day holiday campaign compared to 468 DUI arrests in the 2013-14 campaign, according to authorities.
Law enforcement officials will continue the “Avoid the 13” DUI operations throughout the county and region next during Super Bowl Sunday in February and then again for local St. Patrick’s Day festivities in March.
“Police, Sheriff and CHP encourage all motorists to help law enforcement every day: Report Drunk Driving—Call 9-1-1 anytime you encounter an impaired driver,” the release states.
DUI checkpoints, along with regularly scheduled high visibility DUI enforcement, are proven strategies with the goal of removing impaired drivers from the road and heightening awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, according to authorities. Sobriety checkpoint programs can yield considerable cost savings: $6 for every $1 spent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Funding for the DUI crackdown program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the NHTSA.
