Crackdown on drunken drivers planned for Fourth of July weekend

By MIKE TRELEVEN
Register Staff Writer

Napa County Avoid the 9 DUI Campaign Task Force officers will be out in full force during the Fourth of July holiday, cracking down on drunken drivers.

“Driving while drunk isn’t worth the tremendous risk. No matter your age, if you’ve had too much holiday spirit, you’d better find a safe and sober ride home or your chances of arrest are high,” said Napa Police Chief Richard Melton.

Drunken driving is one of America’s deadliest problems. In 2007, 41,059 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes. Nearly 13,000 people were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle rider with a blood-alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.   

Avoid the 9-Napa County will be deploying officers for a DUI/driver’s license checkpoint and local DUI saturation patrols during the three-day holiday weekend. All routine police and sheriff patrols along with the California Highway Patrol, which is deploying 80 percent of all officers, will be stepping up DUI stops.

For more information call Shirin Vakharia at 259-8691 or visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org.

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