Drunk and drugged driving remains the number one killer on our roadways, with 1,197 alcohol involved deaths and over 23,000 injuries reported statewide in 2013. The “Avoid the 13” DUI Task Force will be combating this deadly problem through DUI enforcement efforts in Sacramento County.  The Sacramento Police Department will be administering a recent $215,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety for the entire county. 

The “Avoid the 13” DUI Task Force is named to send the message that if you don’t drink or use drugs and drive, you will avoid getting arrested by any of the 13 participating law enforcement agencies in the county.  

The grant activities will specifically target those who get behind the wheel after drinking too much or using drugs that impair driving.  Officers from law enforcement agencies across the county will jointly staff DUI/Driver License Checkpoints and roving DUI saturation patrols.  Additionally, funding will target the ‘worst of the worst’ repeat DUI offenders with Warrant/Probation Sweeps and Court Sting Enforcement Operations focusing on DUI offenders with suspended licenses who drive from court hearings after being ordered not to drive by a judge.

“Overall, California’s roadways are among the safest in the nation,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft.  “But to meet future mobility, safety, and accessible transportation objectives, we have to reverse this recent trend in order to reach our common goal – zero deaths on our roadways.  The Office of Traffic Safety and the Avoid DUI Task Force want to work with everyone to create a culture of traffic safety across Sacramento County and the state.”

Motorists can expect to see special DUI campaigns during the winter and summer holiday periods as well as on Halloween, Super Bowl Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and during local special events with identified DUI Problems.  Funding for the grant comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Agencies participating in the ‘Avoid the 13’ taskforce include:

Sacramento Police Department, California Highway Patrol, California State University-Sacramento Police Department, Citrus Heights Police Department, Elk Grove Police Department, Folsom Police Department, Galt Police Department, Los Rios Police Department, Rancho Cordova Police Department, Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, Sacramento County Probation Department, Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, and the University of California- Davis Police Department

Funding for this program is provided to the Sacramento Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminding everyone to ‘Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1’. Please direct any inquiries to Sergeant Chris Prince by phone at (916) 808-6069 or via email at cprince@pd.cityofsacramento.org.