While law enforcement officials have consistently told us not to drink and drive, thousands of drivers every year are arrested for driving under the influence (DUI).
“When more people drive sober and safely, lives are saved. It’s just that simple,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) in a statement.
The California OTS reported 208,531 DUI arrests in 2009. As of Dec. 28, law enforcement agencies have made 1,260 arrests in Los Angeles County during the winter holiday season. The OTS tracks these winter holiday numbers from Dec. 17 through Jan. 3.
On a local level, the Long Beach Police Department reported 17 DUI arrests citywide from Dec. 24 through Dec. 26. This number includes four arrests by the CHP and the remaining number of arrests by the Long Beach Police Department. For this same period, the Signal Hill Police Department reported one DUI arrest on Christmas day.
But if the threat of arrest still isn’t enough for drivers to ponder the responsibility they have each time they get out on the road, people should consider the danger to themselves and others.
According to the OTS, impaired driving from the influence of alcohol or drugs causes one death every 30 minutes.
No DUI checkpoints are planned for Signal Hill or Long Beach, but law officials are planning “saturation patrols,” increasing the dedicated number of officers looking for drivers who have been drinking and driving.
The Long Beach Police Department said that their citywide saturation patrol will go from 7pm on Dec. 31 until 3am on Jan. 1. The Signal Hill Police Department will be adding one officer during New Year’s weekend for their DUI saturation patrol program.
You can report suspected drunk drivers by calling 9-1-1.
