St. Patrick's DUI Crackdown Begins Tonight

St. Patrick's Day revelers, be forewarned: The oh-so-familiar "Avoid the 13" DUI task force will be out on the roads with you today. 

Describing its beefed-up rolling DUI patrols as "a counter-measure to all the 'green beer' on sale," the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department said its law enforcement partners will deploy additional patrols throughout the county.

“Driving impaired is simply not worth the risk," said Capt. Frank Damiano, division commander of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Headquarters Patrol Division. "Designate your sober driver before the party begins.” 

Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Rick Sung agrees with Damiano on the importance of designating a driver before celebrating, and adds, “Make sure you pick your designated driver before you even take your first sip of martini, beer or wine.”

Because the St. Patrick's Day patrol campaign begins at 6 p.m. tonight, Thursday, and ends at 5:59 a.m. Friday, that could make for an incarcerated weekend for drunken drivers.

“For repeat offenders who get arrested Thursday night, they could actually spend the whole weekend in jail before they get to see a judge,” Sung said.

Capt. Alana Forrest said although the agency will not be officially participating in the regional DUI crackdown, it will have two extra police officers patrolling the streets for potential drunken driving incidents on Thursday.

Year to date, the local department has written 14 driving under the influence tickets. The two officers will be available for a 12-hour shift starting at 7 p.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday. 

DUI is commonly understood to be driving under the influence of alcohol, but it applies to other controlled substances, too.

The Avoid the 13 DUI Task Force will deploy additional DUI patrols into various cities of Santa Clara County, including Cupertino, Mountain View, Saratoga, Los Altos Hills, San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale. "Avoid the 13" refers to the original 13 law enforcement agencies when the DUI campaigns were first launched several years ago.

St. Patrick's Day patrols, which started in 2009, are a relatively new addition to the Avoid the 13 campaigns, Sung said. The state Office of Traffic Safety noticed that DUI-related deaths or injuries were higher on holidays such as St. Patrick's Day and Cinco de Mayo  and major events such as the Gilroy Garlic Festival and Mushroom Festival in Morgan Hill, said Michelle Sandoval, the sheriff's grant manager. 

The sheriff's department and its partners recommended the following steps for a safe St. Patrick’s Day:

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin. Before drinking, designate a sober driver, and leave your car keys at home.
• If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely.
• If you happen to see a drunken driver on the road, don’t hesitate to call 911.
• If you know someone who is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they need to go safely.