With the increase in shopping, social gatherings and religious events over the holidays comes an inevitable rise in traffic. Despite the joy of the season, for many reasons people are stressed and distracted, not good qualities for drivers in heavy traffic or bad weather conditions.
Add to this mix one too many martinis and you have a recipe for disaster.
The California Highway Patrol is urging holiday revelers to enlist designated drivers to safely transport partiers. According to the Contra Costa Times, DUI arrests were up over this year's Thanksgiving weekend. As is tradition, the CHP will also step up enforcement efforts over the Christmas and New Year's weekends. According to the CHP:
- Over the Christmas weekend in 2010, four people died in motor-vehicle accidents in California and the CHP arrested 658 drivers on suspicion of driving under the influence.
- Over the New Year's weekend in 2010, 25 people died in motor-vehicle crashes in the state; half were not wearing seat belts. That weekend CHP arrested 961 drivers for suspected DUI.
In an effort to decrease alcohol-related accidents, injuries and deaths, the California Office of Traffic Safety has designated grant money to local, county and state law enforcement agencies for increased DUI patrols, checkpoints and public awareness. In Los Angeles County, this money will also reportedly enhance supervision efforts of repeat DUI offenders on probation.
The Los Angeles Police Department has made public its plans throughout the rest of the year for many holiday sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols. Saturation patrols occur when more squad cars than usual are assigned to a particular geographic area to watch for signs of alcohol impairment behind the wheel like erratic driving.
Follow the CHP recommendations and designate someone at your California holiday gathering to remain sober and drive you and everyone else home safely. If you make a mistake and get behind the wheel when you shouldn't, be sure to contact an experienced drunk-driving attorney as soon as possible if you are stopped by police. DUI penalties in California are very strict and a criminal record can make life devastatingly more challenging.
