Avoid 13 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Crackdown Running Through Labor Day

Announcement from the Los Altos Police Department:

The end of summer festivities brings a surge in drunk driving across the country, so a nationwide effort is underway through September 1.

The Los Altos Police Department in conjunction with all law enforcement agencies in Santa Clara County are teaming up to help crackdown on the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign by enlisting the support of local and social media outlets to publicize the increased saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints during this Labor Day campaign.

SAFETY TIPS:

Here are some simple tips to help motorists and passengers keep safe this Labor Day holiday campaign—and all year long.

• Plan a safe way home before you start the Labor Day festivities.
• Before drinking, designate a sober driver. If you wait until you’re impaired, you’re more likely to make a bad decision.
• If you’ve been drinking, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement immediately. You could save a life.
• If you know someone who is about to operate a motorcycle or drive while drunk, be a true friend and take their keys. Help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

STATISTICS:

• One in three traffic fatalities are in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes.
• Of the 390 people killed in traffic crashes over Labor Day weekend in 2012, one in four were in crashes involving a driver or motorcycle operator with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .15 or higher–that’s almost double the legal limit nationwide.
• Nighttime is especially dangerous. More than three-fourths (76%) of all drunk-driving fatalities over Labor Day weekend 2012 occurred between 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.
• Young drivers from 18 to 34 years old are over represented in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes, especially over the Labor Day holiday. That weekend in 2012, 48 percent of young drivers killed in crashes were drunk. In every state, it’s illegal to drive with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .08 or higher, and it’s illegal for anyone under 21 to drink at all.

The goal is to reduce drunk driving year-round, not just during the crackdown campaign. We’re making progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

To report a suspected drunk driver to Los Altos Police Department, have your passenger call or pull over and to safely dial: 9-1-1 or(650) 947-2770.