Local law enforcement arrested five drivers on suspicion of drunken driving on Friday night as part of a countywide crackdown that will last until Sept. 3.
Officials behind , scrapped a planned DUI checkpoint in Mill Valley for Friday in favor of roving patrols from a countywide DUI strike team including all 13 law enforcement agencies.
Police units focused their enforcement efforts from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., and stopped 90 vehicles throughout Marin County. Of the twenty field sobriety tests administered, five drivers were found to be driving under the influence, according to San Rafael Police Sgt. Christopher Coale.
Four of the arrests were made by the San Rafael Police Department and the other by the Novato Police Department. In addition to the DUI arrests, two drivers with suspended licenses were arrested, four unlicensed drivers were cited and released and four various drug-related arrests were made.
“Our message is simple and unwavering: if we find you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions,” said San Rafael Police Chief Diana Bishop. “Even if you beat the odds and manage to walk away from an impaired-driving crash alive, the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for driving while impaired can still destroy your life.”
A DUI checkpoint is set for Aug. 31 in San Anselmo, with the time and location still to be determined.
The national Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown is led by NHTSA with the California Avoid DUI Task Force Campaign combining high-visibility enforcement and heightened public awareness through publicity. For more information, visit the High-Visibility Enforcement Campaign Headquarters at www.StopImpairedDriving.org.
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