DUIs at Minimum During New Year's Sweep

Maybe holiday partiers really are getting the message about how a DUI can screw up your life and possible even end it — and those of others.

Just two drivers were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence — one juvenile and one adult — by the Avoid the Marin 13 allied law enforcement agencies as they zeroed in on impaired drivers over the New Year’s holiday.

The campaign arrested 27 people for suspected DUI between Dec. 16 and 20, seven more than the same period in 2010, a police spokeswoman said.

Avoid the Marin 13 conducted a countywide task force of 14 officers and a supervisor, according to a release from the . The units took to the streets at 6 p.m. Dec. 31 and were still making traffic stops at 3 a.m. Jan. 1.

Ninety-two drivers were stopped through Marin and 14 were given field sobriety tests. Of the two drivers arrested, one was a juvenile found to be under the influence of marijuana and the second found to be under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana. 

Additionally one driver with a suspended license was arrested, and six unlicensed drivers were cited and released. Fifteen moving safety violations were issued.

Officers throughout Marin have received training in administering standard field sobriety tests, and some have been trained in drug abuse recognition and as drug recognition experts.  The enhanced ability has led to better detection of impaired drivers, according to the press release.  Drivers who are under the influence of not only alcohol but legal and illegal drugs pose an immense danger to themselves and others when operating a vehicle. 

“Our message is simple and unwavering: if we find you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions,” said interim San Rafael Police Chief Jeff Franzini. “Even if you beat the odds and manage to walk away from an impaired-driving crash alive, the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for driving while impaired can still destroy your life.”

Although there was a focus on impaired driving enforcement during the Avoid the Marin 13 winter mobilization period, all 13 agencies aggressively enforce DUI laws throughout the year.  

The national Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown, led by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, combines forces with the California Avoid DUI Task Force Campaign to provide high-visibility enforcement and heightened public awareness through publicity. For more information, visit the High-Visibility Enforcement Campaign Headquarters at www.StopImpairedDriving.org.