— courtesy NBPD
Police sent out an alert Wednesday urging residents to have safe holiday season and warning against the dangers of driving under the influence.
“The holidays are a way to spend time with family and friends while ringing in another year, but also a time when people can sometimes make poor choices that put themselves and others at risk on the road,” the message from Newport Beach Police Department officials explains.
Newport Beach has partnered with the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a campaign to spread the message about the dangers of drunk and drugged driving and get impaired drivers off roads.
More officers will be on the road conducting saturation patrols looking for drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs during the high-visibility enforcement campaign, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” which runs from Dec. 14 through Jan. 1, according to the NBPD message.
A DUI checkpoint will be held on Dec. 27, at an undisclosed location within Newport Beach city limits, looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, as well as checking drivers for proper licensing.
NBPD also used the message to remind drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” Marijuana, prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, police noted.
During the 2017 Christmas (Dec. 22-25) and New Year’s (Dec. 30-Jan. 2) holiday periods, 25 people were killed and 643 were injured on California roads in DUI-related collisions, according to data from the California Highway Patrol Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System.
Funding for impaired driving enforcement operations are provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
