Crime & Safety

Deputies Cracking Down on Drunk Drivers This Week

Increased patrol starts Wednesday

Starting Wednesday, Nov. 23, the will begin its Thanksgiving DUI Enforcement Period as part of Sheriff Bill Gore’s Holiday Watch.

Sheriff’s Deputies will be on the lookout for drunk and impaired drivers, as well as traffic violations from speeding to those not wearing seat belts.

“Seat belts have saved more lives than any other single piece of automotive safety equipment,” said Sheriff Bill Gore. “But in order for them to work, they have to be used. This Thanksgiving, and every day, make sure you buckle up your seat belt.”

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“There is no holiday more closely associated with the American family, or with American travel, than Thanksgiving,” said Chris Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “But if you hit the streets and highways unbelted, the faces you could be seeing this holiday might belong to an emergency room physician or nurse instead of the faces of your family and friends.”

Sheriff Gore also urges drivers to think before they drink and to designate a sober driver. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Thanksgiving is the day when heavy traffic, drinking and long‐distance car trips combine to create fatal travel conditions. This is why the San Diego County AVOID DUI Task Force headed by the Sheriff’s Department will be conducting saturation patrols on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Deputies and officers will be deployed throughout the county looking for impaired and drunk drivers. 

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The Sheriff’s Department reminds you to please, “Report Drunk Drivers. Call 911!”


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