St. Patrick’s Day may be a day when everyone is Irish, but local law enforcement agencies are reminding drivers that police will be on the lookout to nab drunk drivers this weekend.
Los Angeles County’s Avoid the 100 DUI Campaign will be deploying additional officers on overtime for the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. DUI patrol officers will be focusing on determined drunk driver hotspots during the Saint Patrick’s Day enforcement period from 6 p.m., March 16 to 6 a.m. March 18.
DUI saturation patrols will be conducted in Glendora, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont, Covina, Azusa, Irwindale, Glendale, Pasadena, South Pasadena, San Marino, San Fernando, Burbank, Baldwin Park, Arcadia, West Covina, Baldwin Park, Monrovia, El Monte, Sierra Madre, San Gabriel, Monterey Park, Downey, Alhambra, Montebello, Bell Gardens and Whittier. The campaign will also be joined by LAPD, CHP and the Sheriff’s Department.
Police, sheriff and CHP officers will have “zero tolerance” for those who fail to use designated drivers.
According to Glendora Police Chief Rob Castro, while St. Patrick’s Day is revered as a saint’s holiday, it has become infamous for another distinction.
“Too many people are driving drunk and killing or maiming themselves and others on the road as a result,” said Glendora Police Chief Rob Castro in a statement, warning St. Paddy’s Day revelers that even a few drinks, or feeling "buzzed,” can cause a major and serious accident.
Last year during the St. Patrick’s Day period, three people were killed and 96 seriously injured in traffic car crashes across California involving at least one driver with a BAC of .08 percent or higher, according to statistics compiled by the California Office of Traffic Safety.
The campaign offers the following advice for observing St. Patrick’s Day festivities:
- Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin and designate a sober driver.
- Use your community’s sober ride program.
- Report drunk drivers by calling 911
- Take keys away from anyone attempting to drive home impaired and help them make arrangements to get home safely.
The Avoid the 100 DUI Campaign is funded through a grant by the California Office of Traffic Safety.
