Officers from the Monterey Park Police Department DUI Enforcement Team will be deploying this weekend to stop and arrest alcohol and drug-impaired drivers in the department’s ongoing traffic safety campaign. DUI Saturation Patrols will deploy on March 13, 2015 between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. in areas with high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests.
After falling dramatically for five straight years, figures for 2012 show an increase to 802 deaths because of failures to designate sober drivers. Over the course of the past three years, DUI (driving under the influence) collisions in Monterey Park have claimed one life and resulted in 25 injury crashes harming 34 of our friends and neighbors.
DUI can impact the economy in addition to the pain and suffering of those immediately affected. Conservatively, a fatality has a $1.4 million impact, an injury $70,000, and a crash that only damages property averages nearly $9,000.
Report Drunk Drivers, Call 911!
If you’re drinking and driving, law enforcement will find and arrest you. No warnings, no excuses. 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 time behind bars.
Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Media Contact
Sergeant Brent Archibald, Monterey Park Police Department
barchibald@montereypark.ca.gov
626-307-1481
www.MontereyPark.ca.gov
