Arrests down 13 percent in Santa Clara County
Although Morgan Hill Police towed four cars during Friday night’s sobriety checkpoint, there were no drunk drivers apprehended during the kickoff of the annual “Avoid the 13” campaign.
“We had three unlicensed drivers and one with a suspended license come through the checkpoint, so we towed four cars, but we didn’t find anyone driving under the influence,” MHPD Cmdr. Terrie Booten said Monday. “However, to date, we have made six DUI arrests.”
The campaign started with 13 agencies, one of them MHPD, to crackdown on intoxicated drivers during the holiday season. The special enforcement will continue through Jan. 1.
Countywide, arrests for driving under the influence are down 37 percent from last year. During the first weekend of the 17-day campaign, county agencies arrested 140 impaired drivers compared to 221 during the same period last year.
“I’d attribute the drop in arrests to the severe weather that probably kept a lot of people from driving,” said MHPD Chief Bruce Cumming. “We also think that people are getting the message to designate a sober driver or drive sober themselves.”
Booten said there were several minor accidents in Morgan Hill over the weekend, likely caused by the heavy rain.
“We hope people are getting the message about drinking and driving; we also hope they will realize that their visibility is greatly reduced in rainy weather so they need to slow down,” she said.
Since this year’s campaign began on Friday, there have been five DUI-related accidents in the county, up from three last year during the first weekend of the campaign. There have been no fatalities.
Funding for the agencies that provide special enforcement during the campaign is provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety.
