Avoid the 13: DUI Checkpoints Planned for Cinco de Mayo and Beyond

Don't get overly enthusiastic about celebrating that rousing victory of a small, outnumbered, ragtag band of Mexican soldiers over superior French forces on May 5, 1862, police say.

At least, not with alcohol on Cinco de Mayo.

The Mountain View Police Department, along with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, will deploy its roving patrols to catch drunken drivers on Thursday, in an effort to lower deaths and collisions. The communities of Milpitas, Cupertino, Saratoga, San Jose, Los Gatos, Palo Alto and Los Altos Hills will have plenty of overtime pay for patrols that day, said Sgt. Rick Sung, a spokesman for the sheriff's department.

"They are going to deploy roving patrols for that reason," he said. It's all DUI, all the time. "They are not responding to other calls."

Acting police spokeswoman, Jaime Garrett, said that locally, there will additional staffing on Cinco de Mayo downtown similar to St. Patrick’s Day.

Police plan a double punch. After Thursday comes another wave of DUI enforcement: The California Highway Patrol will conduct checkpoints Friday to look for drunken drivers.

"Anytime there is a holiday that we feel that people are going to go out and drink and drive, we have a checkpoint," said Art Montiel, a spokesman for the CHP.

The "Avoid the 13" program has targeted the Cinco de Mayo holiday every year for several years, because so many bars and restaurants offer discounted drink offers, Sung said. Avoid the 13 DUI task force funding is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. St. Patrick's Day was the last time patrols were deployed.

Even police in cities that are not using grant money for extra patrols will be on alert for signs of a drunken driver, he said. Weaving, wide turns, failure to go on a green light, driving below the speed limit and, of course, reckless driving are signs, Sung said.

If you are out celebrating, police offer these tips:  

• Arrange rides home for your friends, family, co-workers and yourself before the drinking begins

• Identify and provide free non-alcoholic drinks or other promotional items to the designated driver.

• Party hosts and servers must limit drinks to your guests or patrons. Don’t serve more than one or two over several hours.

• Cut back on the amount of drinks you plan to bring to the party—and provide plenty of food.

• Report dangerous driving and suspected drunken driving by calling 911.