Laguna Beach Restaurants, Police Work To Keep DUI Drivers Off The Road

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Laguna Beach restaurants are calling rideshares for patrons who may have had one drink too many.

Police Chief Jeff Calvert released a statement to that effect after a DUI checkpoint on Friday, Dec. 20, where seven drivers were arrested on suspicion of DUI.

“Often, businesses are unaware of DUI arrests resulting from over-serving alcoholic beverages,”Police Chief Jeff Calvert said in a statement obtained by the LA Times. “This initiative aims to educate business owners and make our roadways safer. By collaborating with the businesses, we can prevent impaired driving and the devastating outcomes it so often causes.”

It's all in the name of staying compliant with laws and ensuring drivers who've had too much to drink stay off the road for their sakes and the sake of other drivers, one restaurant owner told ABC7.

"If we serve one too many drinks to a customer, they could kill someone else or kill themselves," Laguna Beach Moulin's owner, Laurent Vrignaud, told ABC7 in a recent report. The business supports the Laguna Beach Police Department's initiative that notifies businesses if a DUI is linked to the amount of alcohol they were served at a particular restaurant.

The goal is to keep business owners and employees aware of guests who've had too much to drink and to prevent drunk driving by cutting people off and calling them rideshare.

According to ABC7, the police give businesses a chance to evaluate their practices to make sure they comply with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

According to ABC7's report, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control could investigate businesses linked to DUIs and could hold them liable for overserving.

"There are so many options instead of driving while intoxicated. Call a ride-sharing company, call a cab, or call family or a friend instead of driving impaired. Just Plan ahead," Laguna Beach Police said in a recent Facebook post following a DUI crash in North Laguna Beach. "It’s the right thing to do and it’s so much cheaper than a DUI."

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