Cathedral City police cracking down on holiday drunk drivers
Officers from the Cathedral City Police Department’s DUI Enforcement Team will be deploying this weekend to stop and arrest alcohol and drug-impaired drivers in the Department’s ongoing traffic safety campaign. DUI Saturation Patrols will be on the lookout Saturday night between 6:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. in areas with high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests.
“Chief George Crum and the men and women of the Cathedral City Police Department are dedicated to accomplishing the safety of our residents and visitors on our roadways. We will strive to accomplish the goal of zero deaths on our roadways through a collaborative effort between the Police Department, the community and The Office of Traffic Safety.” said Cathedral City PD. “This is a ‘Zero Tolerance’ crackdown so Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over!”
After falling dramatically for five straight years, figures for 2012 show an increase to 802 deaths because someone failed to designate a sober driver. Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed 18 lives and resulted in 304 injury crashes harming 403 of our friends and neighbors.
DUI can impact the economy in addition to the pain and suffering of those immediately affected. Conservatively, a fatality has a $1.4 million impact, an injury $70,000, and a crash that only damages property averages nearly $9000.
If you’re drinking and driving, law enforcement will find and arrest you. No warnings, no excuses. The only way to truly avoid a DUI is to drive sober. There are many ways to get home safely after drinking, and driving isn’t one of them. Designate a sober driver ahead of time, or call a friend or family member. You could also use public transportation, PGA (Parents & Guardians Against DUI, 760-340-1500 Thursday-Sunday 6:00pm to 2:00am or call a taxi. The cost of cab fare is nothing compared to a $10,000 DUI or the cost of someone’s life, and the ‘inconvenience’ of not driving your own car home is nothing compared to the inconvenience of spending time behind bars.
