California Highway Patrol officers in Monterey and San Benito Counties started their “summer mobilization” effort Friday, and it runs through Labor Day, according to an announcement from the CHP.
According to the CHP statement:
The Avoid the 20 effort, named for the number of law enforcement agencies in the two counties, gets its funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said Salinas police traffic Sgt. Gerard Ross.
Jurisdictions are planning sobriety checkpoints, in-city saturation patrols and maximum enforcement by the CHP’s three area commands, Hollister-Gilroy, Monterey and King City.
“We hope that the DUI arrest count will be much lower, maybe in the two digits,” he said. In the last two years, the arrest total duplicated itself at 100.
“The good news is that a DUI arrest is completely preventable, just use the good old designated sober driver method,” the sergeant stated.
“The bad news is that an arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs could cost as much as $10,000 when you add up all the various costs. Never mind that your insurance rates will go through the roof, if the insurance company doesn’t cancel your policy outright.”
The effort is part of a national NHTSA campaign with the title “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”
