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Lead Up to Labor Day Brings DUI Crackdown to Alhambra.

Alhambra, CA – Labor Day weekend is coming up. For many Americans, that means an extra day off, backyard and beach barbecues, visiting friends and family, and the unofficial end of the summer season. Unfortunately, it also means a sharp increase in drunk-driving-related fatalities. Now through Labor Day, September 1, 2014, the Alhambra Police Department will be aggressively targeting drunk and drug-impaired drivers as part of a nationwide effort to end impaired driving and save lives. The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign will pair increased public awareness with high-visibility enforcement, resulting in fewer drunk drivers on Alhambra streets.

Alhambra Police Department will be looking for impaired drivers throughout the city with plans in place for a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoints on Friday, August 29, 2014, at Fremont Avenue and Orange Street between the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.

According to the California Office of Traffic Safety’s 2013 Annual Performance Report, there were 802 alcohol impaired driving fatalities in California and approximately 10,000 deaths nationwide in 2012.

‘’Over the course of the past three years, 42 DUI related collisions in Alhambra have claimed 1 life and injured an additional 43 of our friends and neighbors.” said Lt. Jennifer Wiese, from the Alhambra Police Department.

According to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) during the 2012 Labor Day weekend, 147 motorists lost their lives due to a drunk driver, this resulted in more than 38 percent of fatalities occurred over the holiday weekend. Out of all the collision fatalities over the labor day weekend, one in four were attributed to drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .15 percent or higher – almost twice the legal limit in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Every 51 minutes, someone is killed in a drunk-driving collision. Over the Labor Day weekend, those fatalities increase to one every 34 minutes. Night-time is especially dangerous; almost half (46 percent) of the fatalities in night-time collisions over the Labor Day weekend involved a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher, compared to 25 percent in daytime fatal crashes.

This Labor Day weekend don’t let the festivities turn into fatalities. Remember that, aside from the obvious risks of killing yourself or someone else, driving impaired can also lead to serious punitive consequences. A DUI arrest can mean time in jail, loss of your driver’s license, and steep financial expenses; the average DUI can cost up to $10,000.

Funding for this special operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who reminds everyone; Report Drunk Drivers! – Call 9-1-1. The Office of Traffic Safety is offering a free mobile app – DDVIPCA.COM – aimed at thanking the sober designated driver with perks and free offers at area bars and restaurants.

Alhambra Police Department Reminds Everyone to Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over