This time of year, with all the holiday parties and festive occasions, many partygoers will be drinking. If you are celebrating with alcohol this holiday season, Sacramento County Law Enforcement Agencies have a message for you:  Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. 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 from December 12 through January 1, 2015, actively searching for drunk drivers.

The Avoid the 16 DUI Task Force will be aggressively looking for drunk drivers this holiday season with plans in place for seven DUI and Driver’s License Checkpoints, a Multi-Agency Strike Team, seven local roving DUI Saturation Patrols, a DUI Warrant/Probation Sweep and a DUI Court Sting targeting suspended drivers who were ordered by the judge not to drive. (**See the schedule below for a list of the operations being held during the 21 day mobilization campaign.)

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 percent.   For all of 2012, more than 10,322 people are killed by drunk drivers in America, with 802 of those in California alone.  In California, an additional 24,000 were seriously injured as a result of a DUI related collision.

It’s one of the primary missions of law enforcement, the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to eliminate these tragedies.  As part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign period, law enforcement will be increasing their number of patrols, setting up DUI Checkpoints, and using local media to reach all drivers. If you’re drinking and driving, the Avoid the 16 DUI Task Force will be out to find and arrest you – no warnings, no excuses. You WILL face jail time, fines, loss of your driver’s license, towing fees, and other DUI expenses, totaling $10,000 on average. Not to mention the humiliation among your family, friends, and workplace. 

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. You could also use public transportation, or call a taxi. 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.

AVOID the 16 Winter Holiday Mobilization Schedule of Operations

The Sacramento County Avoid the 16 is announcing its upcoming enforcement operations for the Winter Holiday DUI Campaign.  The following schedule of operations, dates, and locations are provided for broadcast. 

Week of Dec 8^th            

Friday, Dec 12^th, DUI Saturation Patrols 2000-0300, Cities of Sacramento and Citrus Heights

Saturday, Dec 13^th, DUI/CDL CHECKPOINT, 1900-0300, City of Sacramento

Saturday, Dec 13^th, DUI Saturation Patrols 2000-0300, City of Sacramento

Week of Dec 15^th through New Year’s Day

Thursday, Dec 18^th, DUI Saturation Patrols, 2000-0300, City of Sacramento

Friday, Dec 19^th DUI/DL CHECKPOINT, 1900-0300, City of Folsom

Saturday, Dec 20^th DUI TASKFORCE OPERATIONS, 2000-0200, City of Folsom

Saturday, Dec 20^th DUI/DL CHECKPOINT, 1900-0300, City of Sacramento

Friday, Dec 26^th DUI Saturation Patrols, 2000-0300, City of Sacramento      

Friday, Dec 26^th DUI/DL CHECKPOINT, 1900-0300, City of Sacramento

Saturday, Dec 27^th DUI Saturation Patrols, 2000-0300, City of Sacramento

Tuesday, Dec 30^nd DUI/DL CHECKPOINT, 1900-0300, City of Sacramento           

Thursday, Dec 31^st DUI Saturation Patrols, 2000-0300, City of Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove and Rancho Cordova

Please direct any inquiries to Sergeant Chris Prince at (916) 808-6069. Statistical data on the number of DUI arrests and DUI fatal collisions will be released periodically throughout the holiday weekend. Media is encouraged to attend any of the events in an effort to spread awareness about the impacts of drinking and driving.

Funding for the “Avoid” program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration