If your going to drink and drive this 4th of July, think twice as the Contra Costa County will be stepping up DUI enforcement in an effort to encourage folks to drive responsibly. Here is a copy of a press release that went out from the Contra Costa County Sheriffs office today.
We realize you want to have a good time, but if your going to drink, have a designated driver please as the last thing we want to do is cover your accident on this website.
Avoid the 25 Anti-DUI Task Force Cracking Down On Impaired Drivers this Fourth of July
[Martinez, CA] – Most drivers may not realize it, but the 4th of July is one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to alcohol-impaired driving crashes.
That’s why this 4th of July, law enforcement throughout Contra Costa County is stepping up enforcement efforts as part of the ongoing Avoid the 25 Anti-DUI Task Force, joining agencies statewide in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement crackdown to catch and arrest impaired drivers who put themselves and others at risk.
To save lives on our streets, roadways and freeways, the Avoid the 25 will be cracking down on drug and alcohol impaired driving, deploying officers to a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint in Concord on July 6, 2013 and numerous DUI saturation patrols throughout the county. The CHP will be deploying all available officers onto freeways and county roads for its Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP).
Impaired-driving crashes killed more than 10,000 people in 2010, accounting for 31% of all traffic-related fatalities in the United States. That’s an average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality every 51 minutes. Even without a crash, there are numerous consequences as a result of being caught driving impaired, such as jail time, insurance rate hikes, loss of driver’s license, embarrassment, and costs up to $10,000, just to name a few.
The percentage of fatalities from impaired driving spike around the 4th of July. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 392 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes during the 4th of July holiday in 2010 (6:00 PM, July 2 – 5:59 AM, July 6). Of those fatalities, 39 percent were in crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08% or higher. What is even more tragic about the statistics is the high number of fatalities among 18-34 year olds. Forty-six percent of alcohol impaired driving fatalities during the 2010 4th of July holiday period were within this age group
The Avoid the 25 Anti-DUI Task Force recommends these simple tips for a safe Fourth of July:
- Plan a safe way home before the fun begins. Before drinking, designate a sober driver.
- If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation;
- If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to report it – Call 911!
- Remember, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while
- impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.
- For more information, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/drivesober.
Avoid the 25 Anti-DUI Task Force funding is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
