The Malibu Times Staff
There will be an increased number of officers on the streets and sobriety checkpoints will be setup statewide during the holiday season as the California Highway Patrol and other agencies, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, attempt to crack down on drunk driving.
“We always step up our efforts during the holiday season because there are more drunk drivers out there,” said Lt. John Benedict from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.
The CHP says 265 people in Los Angeles County were killed last year in vehicle collisions where alcohol was involved, while another 7,487 were injured. Statewide, 1,574 people were killed, and 30,810 were injured.
CHP Commissioner Mike Brown said in a press release that other motorists on the street can help to identify drunken drivers.
“We’re asking the public to report drunk drivers by calling 9-1-1 and providing the location and a complete description of the vehicle,” Brown said. “This will help us know who we’re looking for and where to look.”
Christopher J. Murphy, chair of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Highway Safety Association, added, “The increase in impaired driving fatalities in California has been a serious concern for the past seven years, bringing the issue to the forefront of traffic safety priorities for California. To make an even greater impact, we’re asking for citizens throughout the state to serve as an extra set of eyes. Knowing that the public is also on the lookout for drunk drivers is a powerful deterrent.”
Benedict added that when people do spot drunken drivers, they should make sure to keep their distance from them. He said witnesses should get close enough to get a description of the vehicle and, if possible, a licensee plate number, but remain in a safe situation.
The CHP says some of the warning signs to look for when determining whether a driver is drunk include:
-Turning with a wide radius
-Straddling the center of the road or lane marker
-Appearing to be drunk, including eye fixation, face close to windshield or drinking in the vehicle
-Almost striking an object or another vehicle
-Weaving or zigzagging across the road
-Driving on surfaces other than a designated roadway
-Swerving or abruptly turning away from a general straight course
-Driving slower than 10 mph below the speed limit
-Erratic braking
-Driving into opposing or crossing traffic
-Driving with headlights off
Meanwhile, Mothers Against Drunk Driving last month launched its national Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving, which it says aims to end drunk driving in the United States. Nearly 13,000 people are killed annually by drunk drivers, according to MADD. The CHP estimates that number at closer to 17,000, while it says more than 700,000 people are injured in accidents involving driving and drinking.
“The real possibility of eliminating drunk driving in this country is a powerful, even audacious, idea,” said MADD President Glynn Birch in a press release. Birch’s 21-month-old son was killed by a drunk driver in 1988.
MADD’s effort includes a four-point plan: intensive high-visibility law enforcement, including twice-yearly crackdowns and frequent enforcement efforts that include sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols in all 50 states;
full implementation of current alcohol ignition interlock technologies, including efforts to require alcohol ignition interlock devices for all convicted drunk drivers. A key part of this effort will be working with judges, prosecutors and state driver’s license officials to stop the revolving door of repeat offenders; exploration of advanced vehicle technologies through the establishment of a Blue Ribbon panel of international safety experts to assess the feasibility of a range of technologies that would prevent drunk driving. These technologies must be moderately priced, absolutely reliable, set at the legal BAC limit and unobtrusive to the sober driver; and mobilization of grassroots support, led by MADD and its more than 400 affiliates, to make the elimination of drunk driving a reality.