Crime & Safety

Cinco de Mayo DUI Crackdown Begins Thursday at Midnight

Multi-agency 'Avoid the 13' effort, including Milpitas, to apprehend impaired motorists in Santa Clara County and beyond begins at midnight tonight Thursday, May 2 and continues until 12:59 p.m. Sunday, May 5.

Careful ingesting those margaritas, tequila shots and other Cinco de Mayo alcoholic beverages this weekend  ...

If you overdo it, you risk getting a DUI ticket, which could mean between three and five years of court probation, fines and court fees of up to $10,000, losing your California driver's license, jail time and higher insurance rates.

The Santa Clara County Avoid the 13 DUI Task Force announced this morning that it's beginning its heavy anti drinking-and-driving crackdown tonight Thursday May 2 at midnight and continuing until 12:59 p.m. Sunday, May 5.

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“With Cinco de Mayo celebrations on the rise across the country, alcohol-impaired crashes, injuries and fatalities will also rise,” said Campbell Police Chief Greg Finch. “But buzzed driving is drunk driving, and is never safe or acceptable. So folks should plan ahead now to avoid the temptation on
the big day.”

The campaign, under the slogan, "Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving," will utilize special DUI saturation patrols that will be deployed this weekend countywide to identify and stop suspected drunk drivers, Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy spokesman Kurtis Stenderup said in a press release.

Find out what's happening in Milpitaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Routine traffic and patrol officers assigned to duty will also be on heightened
alert to prevent drivers from getting behind the wheel of a car intoxicated, he added.

From 2007 to 2011, 38 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities that occurred each year around May 5 involved impaired drivers or motorcycle operators with blood alcohol concentrations of .08 and above, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

During the 2011 Cinco de Mayo holiday alone, 35 percent of motor vehicle fatalities involved an alcohol-impaired driver or motorcycle operator with a BAC of .08 and above, according to the release.

A disturbing 80 percent of the alcohol-impaired fatalities involved a driver or motorcycle operator with nearly twice the legal limit, showing a BAC of .15, the release added.

Chief Finch said that people can still enjoy the holiday and celebrations without putting their lives or the lives of other innocent victims on the line.

“When people start celebrating, they often aren’t thinking of how they will get home from the restaurant or a friend’s house, and they don’t realize how much they’ve had to drink and make a bad choice that ends in tragic consequences,” said Chief Finch. “That’s why we are reminding folks to play it safe and plan ahead, designate a sober driver.”

The Avoid the 13 Task Force recommends the following easy steps to have a safe and happy Cinco de Mayo:

  • Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.
  • Before drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
  • If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation to get home safely.
  • Use your community’s sober ride program
  • Report Drunk Drivers - Call 911.
  • If you know someone who is about to drive a car or ride a motorcycle while impaired, take the keys and help that person make other arrangements to get to where he or she is going safely.

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