Cinco de Mayo: Fiesta Time or Jail Time?
Buzzed Driving Is Drunk
Driving
ARCADIA,
CA - In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has become synonymous with festive
fiestas and salty margaritas. Historically, the fifth of May commemorates
Mexico’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the
Franco-Mexican War, but present-day celebrations often lead to drunk
driving—and there’s no victory in that. If you are planning to party this Cinco
de Mayo, keep this number in mind: 343 people were killed in motor vehicle
crashes over the Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend in 2014. Of those 343 people who
lost their lives, 34 percent (116) died in drunk-driving crashes. And the
drivers in those crashes weren’t just a little drunk. Sadly, almost one out of
five (17%) of all the drivers in fatal crashes that weekend had blood alcohol
concentrations (BACs) of .15 % or higher—almost two times the legal limit in
every state.
The
Arcadia Police Department is continuing its ongoing efforts to stop and arrest
impaired drivers, deploying extra officers on DUI saturation patrols this
Thursday evening to lower deaths and injuries. The DUI saturation patrol will
be operational from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Friday morning.
In
the rush of party preparations and getting dressed up for a night out, it’s
easy to forget the most important Cinco de Mayo plan of all: designating a
sober driver. Some fiesta-goers think they can play it by ear and wait until
after the party has started to decide whether they’re “okay to drive.” By this
point, it’s too late. Going out for a night of drinking without a plan to get
home safely is a recipe for disaster.
Remember:
Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving, and when you drive drunk, you run the risk of
killing yourself or someone else. You will be looking at jail time, the loss of
your driver license, higher insurance rates, plus other unanticipated expenses
ranging from attorney fees, court costs, car or motorcycle towing and repairs,
and lost wages due to time off from work. The average DUI costs about $10,000.
Wouldn’t you rather pay for a ride home?
So
before your first margarita, cold beer, or shot of tequila this Cinco de Mayo,
make sure you have a designated sober driver or arranged another safe way home.
The California Office of Traffic Safety DDVIP (Designated Driver VIP) mobile
app is available for free download on iOS and Android devices. The DDVIP app
offers e to “Map a Spot” with their current location to find DDVIP partnering
establishments in their area or a “List of Spots” to search all participating
bars and restaurants throughout California. Users will be offered free
incentives at each bar to celebrate their life saving role. They can stay up-to-date with the latest from
DDVIP and see what other users are saying via its social tab. Also through the
app, for those who want to imbibe but also make it a point to plan ahead, users
can easily order a sober ride from Uber, Lyft or Curb – all from one
screen.
Recent
statistics reveal that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more
drugs in their systems. A study of
active drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may impair driving
(14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent). Of the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent,
at 7.4 percent, slightly more than alcohol. Everyone should be mindful that if
you’re taking medication – whether prescription or over-the-counter – drinking
even small amounts of alcohol can greatly intensify the impairment
affects.
A
final statistic to remember: drunk or drug impaired driving deaths are
100-percent preventable.
This
enforcement effort is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic
Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reminding
everyone to ‘Report Drunk Drivers, Call 911!’
Robert
T. Guthrie
Chief of
Police
By:
Kollin Cieadlo
Traffic
Sergeant
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