San Juan Capistrano, Ca. (August 24, 2022): As friends and family plan vacations during the final days of summer, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department is reminding everyone to stay safe by always choosing a sober way to go.
No matter how you choose to celebrate the end of summer and Labor Day weekend, make sure you do so responsibly. Take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your family by buckling up, ditching the distractions, following the speed limit, and never driving impaired.
To help keep our community safe during the busy late summer and Labor Day weekend travel season, the OC Sheriff will have additional officers on patrol Aug. 18 through Labor Day (Sept. 6) looking for drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The increased efforts to address impaired driving are part of a national enforcement campaign, Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will hold a DUI Checkpoint Friday, August 26, 2022, from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. in the City of San Juan Capistrano.
“Driving impaired is risky and puts yourself and others around you in serious danger,” Sergeant John Hopkins said. “If you are taking a road trip over the next few weeks, make good choices and drive like your closest friends and family are in the cars around you.”
In 2020, 1,159 people were killed throughout the state in drunk driving-related crashes, which accounted for 30 percent of all traffic deaths.
Driving while impaired is not just from alcohol. Prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications and marijuana may also impair. If you plan on drinking or taking medications with a driving warning label, let someone who is sober drive. If you see someone driving impaired, call 9-1-1.
Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
