Crime & Safety

Cinco de Mayo DUI Crackdown Begins Thursday at Midnight

The multi-agency 'Avoid the 13' effort to apprehend impaired motorists underway from Thursday, May 2 and until 12:59 a.m. Sunday, May 5.

Careful ingesting those margaritas, tequila shots and other Cinco de Mayo alcoholic beverages this weekend.

The Santa Clara County "Avoid the 13" DUI Task Force announced this morning that it's beginning its heavy anti-drinking and driving crackdown tonight Thursday, May 2nd at midnight and continuing until 12:59 a.m. Sunday, May 5.

During the St. Patrick's Day effort, the Mountain View Police Department made four DUI arrests, according to a police spokesperson.

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The campaign, under the slogan "Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving," will utilize special DUI saturation patrols that will be deployed this weekend countywide to identify and stop suspected drunk drivers, Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy spokesman Kurtis Stenderup said in a press release.

Drivers who get stopped for drunk driving risk getting a DUI ticket, which could mean between three and five years of court probation, fines and court fees of up to $10,000, the loss of your California driver's license, jail time and higher insurance rates.

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Routine traffic and patrol officers assigned to duty will also be on heightened
alert to prevent drivers from getting behind the wheel of a car intoxicated, he added.

From 2007 to 2011, 38 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities that occurred each year around May 5th involved impaired drivers or motorcycle operators with blood alcohol concentrations of .08 and above, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

During the 2011 Cinco de Mayo holiday alone, 35 percent of motor vehicle fatalities involved an alcohol-impaired driver or motorcycle operator with a BAC of .08 and above, according to the release.

A disturbing 80 percent of the alcohol-impaired fatalities involved a driver or motorcycle operator with nearly twice the legal limit, showing a BAC of .15, the release added.

The Avoid the 13 Task Force recommends the following easy steps to have a safe and happy Cinco de Mayo:

  • Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.
  • Before drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
  • If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation to get home safely.
  • Use your community’s sober ride program
  • Report Drunk Drivers - Call 911.
  • If you know someone who is about to drive a car or ride a motorcycle while impaired, take the keys and help that person make other arrangements to get to where he or she is going safely.

 

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