County Authorities Increasing Holiday DUI Patrols Around Burlingame, Hillsborough Beginning Friday

The following is a news release from the San Mateo County Avoid the 23 DUI Task Force:

This time of year, with all the holiday parties and festive occasions, many partygoers will be drinking. Due to the increase in drunk-driving-related fatalities around the holidays each year, law enforcement agencies across the country will be out in force December 12-January 1, 2015 actively searching for drunk drivers.

The San Mateo County Avoid the 23 DUI Task Force will be aggressively looking for drunk drivers this holiday season with plans in place for two DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoints, 16 local roving DUI Saturation Patrols, and a DUI Warrant/Probation sweep.

The facts are grim: on average, a third (31%) of all crash fatalities in America involves drunk driving. In December 2012, there were 830 people killed in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08% or higher; 26 of those deaths occurred on Christmas Day. But on Christmas Day 2012, the percentage jumped to 36%. For all of 2012, more than 10,322 people were killed by drunk drivers in America, with 802 of those in California alone. In California, an additional 24,000 persons were seriously injured.

The only way to truly avoid a DUI is to drive sober. There are many ways to get home safely after drinking, and driving isn’t one of them. Designate a sober driver ahead of time, or call a friend or family member. Drivers could also use public transportation, call a taxi, or a private transportation company. The cost of cab fare is nothing compared to a $10,000 DUI or the cost of someone’s life, and the “inconvenience” of not driving your own car home is nothing compared to the inconvenience of spending the holidays behind bars.

Daly City Police Chief Manny Martinez Jr. is calling on everyone to be alert.

“If you see a drunk driver on the road, Report Drunk Drivers – Call 911! — you could save a life. If someone you know is about to drive after drinking, take away the keys and help the person get home safely. We’ve got to work together to make our roads safer this December and year-round.”

Some startling data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that during the holiday season in 2012, 40% of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes had at least one prior DUI on their record. And many offenders are young drivers: during that same holiday period, 37% of the 21 to 24-year old drivers in fatal crashes were impaired. Surprisingly, almost 1 out of 6 drivers under the age of 21 in those fatal crashes were also drunk, even though they were too young to legally buy or consume alcohol.

The Avoid the 23 DUI Task Force advises San Mateo County drivers to follow these tips to keep the holidays safe and happy:

• Under the right conditions, even one drink can impair your judgment and increase the risk of getting arrested for driving drunk—or worse, the risk of having a crash.
• If you will be drinking, do not plan on driving. Plan ahead; designate a sober driver before the party begins.
• If you have been drinking, do not drive. Call a taxi, phone a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.

The Avoid the 23 DUI Task Force funding is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over!”

(Image via Shutterstock)