DUI Checkpoints After Del Mar Opening Day Set Up in Encinitas, Other Cities

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department made the following announcement on July 17, 2013:

 Deputies from the San Diego Sheriff's Department with Police Officers from Coronado Police Department, Chula Vista Police Department, Escondido Police Department, La Mesa Police Department, National City Police Department, San Diego Police Department, SDSU Police Department, and UC San Diego Police Department, will be deploying DUI Enforcement Teams to crackdown on drunk driving in an ongoing effort to lower deaths and injuries in and around the Del Mar Race Track for the Opening Day of the racing season. 

“If you drive drunk, the AVOID Agencies will be looking for you,” said Lieutenant Julius T. Faulkner, with the Sheriff's Department. “If you’re over the limit, you will be arrested. 

The AVOID Agencies will be conducting this “Zero Tolerance” DUI Saturation Patrol on Wednesday, July 17th, 2013, targeting those who still do not heed the message to designate a sober driver before their celebrations begin. Funding for this program is through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Impaired-driving crashes killed more than 10,000 people in 2010, accounting for 31 percent of all traffic-related fatalities in the United States. That is an average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality every 51 minutes. Even without a crash, there are numerous consequences as a result of being caught driving impaired, such as jail time, insurance hikes, loss of driver’s license, embarrassment, and costs up to $10,000, just to name a few. 

The DUI Saturation Patrols will deploy in and around the Del Mar Race Track, in the cities of Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, and San Diego, starting at approximately 4 p.m. 

Police, Sheriff and the CHP encourage all motorists to watch for and report impaired drivers each and every trip around town or during summer vacations: Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1! anytime motorists encounter that dangerous driver. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.