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Holiday DUI arrests down on area highways |
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By Tom Schultz
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Wednesday, May 30 2007 |
Arrests for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol along area highways were down from last year over the Memorial Day weekend holiday, but speeding citations were up, according to CHP figures released Tueday.
A total of 11 drivers were arrested for DUI by the CHP compared to 16 last year during a “maximum enforcement period” in the Santa Barbara area that had all available officers on duty from Friday through Monday, officials said.
Speeding brought 221 citations versus 184 last year. And the CHP issued 34 tickets for seat belt violations, compared to 58 last year, according to the statistics.
Within the city of Santa Barbara, the weekend was “fairly uneventful,” according to Santa Barbara Police Lt. Paul McCaffrey.
“There were few major incidents affecting public safety,” he said in a statement.
A total of 13 drivers were arrested for DUI and two more for DUI-related warrants, according to police statistics released Tuesday. Over the weekend, the department conducted a checkpoint at 2900 Las Positas Road and another at 1100 San Andres Street. On Monday, roving enforcement was beefed up from one to four patrol vehicles, McCaffrey said.
In addition, 23 people were arrested over the weekend for public intoxication in Santa Barbara, according to the police department.
“Of all the DUI arrests, only one case involved an accident,” McCaffrey said.
On Friday at 11:20 p.m., emergency crews responded to a traffic collision at Cliff Drive and Mesa Lane, he said. “Witnesses told a fire crew that the single-vehicle involved in the accident just fled down Cliff Drive. The fire company caught up to the suspect vehicle, a 2006 Red Honda Accord. It was easy to spot due to a trail of smoke and auto body debris.”
The Honda sustained moderate damage to the front and left side, McCaffrey said, adding that the right front tire had completely separated from the rim. “The friction of metal rim on pavement made a loud grinding noise and left grooves in the asphalt. The fire crew followed the Honda to Portesuello Avenue where a patrol vehicle arrived to made a traffic stop.”
The driver, Jade Van, age 20 was arrested for DUI and hit and run, according to police.
At recreational areas along the coast from Santa Barbara to Gaviota, law-enforcement officers saw more designated drivers than impaired drivers during a Saturday saturation patrol, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
The stepped-up enforcement began at 2 p.m. and ended at 10 p.m.
Although authorities made 39 traffic stops and conducted nine investigations, they arrested no one for DUI, said Sheriff's Deputy Win Smith, coordinator of the anti-DUI "Avoid the 12" program. The crackdown gets its name from the dozen law enforcement agencies in the county.
“We were pleasantly surprised at the lack of excessive alcohol consumption in the parks this Memorial Day weekend,” Smith said in a statement. “The crowds were primarily families, we didn't see a lot of heavy alcohol consumption.”
Law enforcement agencies involved in the effort included were from the California State Parks, the Sheriff's Department, Guadalupe, UCSB and Alan Hancock College.
The California Office of Traffic Safety funds Avoid the 12 through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. |
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