The holidays mean good times, family gatherings, and company parties, but they also mean increased DUI enforcement and drunken driving incidents. The holiday season has just begun, and law enforcement agencies are strictly enforcing DUI laws to avoid drunken driving accidents, injuries and casualties.
For example the city of Santa Clarita, California has partnered with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station in a new Anti-DUI program that aims to attack perpetrators of California DUI laws during the holidays via various mediums. Television and print advertisements will display a person getting a DUI and contrast the costs of a drink with DUI penalties. The city is also partnering in a statewide campaign aiming to reduce Californians between the ages of 21-34 from driving impaired during the holidays.
According to a preliminary report from the California Highway Patrol, 1,537 people were arrested on Thanksgiving weekend in California for driving under the influence from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Saturday. Twenty percent of those California DUI arrests occurred in Los Angeles County. 38 people were killed in traffic collisions statewide this Thanksgiving weekend, a figure that is down from last year’s 52 state wide deaths but up from Los Angeles County’s totals during that period.
These increased efforts are motivated in part by past National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research on drunken driving related fatalities during the holidays. While enforcement programs are stepped up during the holidays, the fact remains that people tend to drink more during this time of the year. Ultimately, safety will come down to each person being responsible after drinking by selecting a designated driver, leaving his or her vehicle and catching a ride from a sober friend, taking public transportation, or hailing a cab.
It said that the overall cost to a defendant found guilty of a DUI can surpass $10,000 when you take into account court fines, DUI school fees, restitution fees, auto insurance increases, etc. In addition there are many other serious consequences related to a DUI arrest. These include the real potential for loss of your driving privilege, probation, fines, etc. Doesn’t it make sense to seek out the legal assistance of a highly experienced DUI law firm with so much at stake? Call Wallin & Klarich at 877-466-5245 so we can begin to help you now.
