A statewide holiday DUI crackdown has netted more than 1,000 arrests throughout the Bay Area since Dec. 16, and law enforcement agencies have been out in force during New Year's Day weekend.
In Santa Clara County, 331 arrests were reported between Dec. 16 and Dec. 30 this year, a drop of 103 arrests compared to the 434 made during the same period in 2010.
New Year's Eve Dec. 31 and New Year's Day Jan. 1 are considered one of the biggest drunk driving nights of the year. Law enforcement have been patrolling and conducting DUI checkpoints looking for drivers who left parties with too much to drink.
For New Year’s Eve and final weekend of the campaign, DUI saturation patrols will be deployed in the cities of San Jose, Mountain View, Los Altos, Morgan Hill, and Cupertino.
The CHP will be deploying all available officers for their maximum enforcement period during the New Year’s holiday weekend, which began Friday, Dec. 30 at 6 p.m. and ending at midnight Monday, Jan. 2, 2012.
Santa Clara County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jose Cardoza is encouraging drivers to take a bus, ride the train or hop on a cab if they're planning on celebrating New Year's Day by drinking.
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will be offering free rides on its buses and light-rail service from 7 p.m. until 3:49 a.m. New Year's Day, Jan. 1.
Police, Sheriff and the CHP encourage all motorists to help make the holidays safer by reporting drunk drivers by calling 911.
DUI arrest data collection will continue through midnight Jan. 1.
—Bay City News Service contributed to this story
