Keep Roadways SAFE
During the New Year’s Traffic
San
Bernardino County Sheriff
The New
Year’s holiday is a way to spend time with family and friends ringing in
another year, but also a time when people can make poor choices that put
themselves and others at risk on the road.
To help spread the message about the dangers of drunk and drugged driving, The
San Bernardino County Sheriff Department is partnering with the California
Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) to get impaired drivers off roads.
During the high-visibility enforcement campaign Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,
which ran from December 14th until January 1, 2019, the cities of
Chino Hills, Apple Valley, Hesperia, Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville and Yucaipa
will have more officers on the road conducting saturation patrols looking for
drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
Whether you are home with family or at the bar, it is important that you find a
sober ride home after drinking. As an adult, it is up to you to make adult
decisions and drive sober or use a ride share service. There are no excuses for
driving impaired.
The San Bernardino
County Sheriff’s Department also reminds 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.
During the 2017 Christmas (Dec. 22-25) and New Year’s (Dec. 30-Jan. 2) holiday
periods, 25 people were killed and 643 injured on California roads, according
to data from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Statewide Integrated Traffic
Records System (SWITRS).
“Drunk driving continues to be a
huge problem in this country, and more recently, marijuana and drug-impaired
driving. People are out and about shopping for the holidays and going to or
hosting parties, so it is important that everyone acts responsibly behind the
wheel.”
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.