There was a significant decrease in drunk driving arrests in Morgan Hill and South Santa Clara County over the Labor Day holiday, police said.
All three drivers arrested for DUI in Morgan Hill as part of the Avoid the 13 campaign, which started at 6 p.m. Friday and ended at 6 a.m. Monday, were caught at a checkpoint set up Saturday night at Tennant Avenue and Butterfield Boulevard, said Cmdr. David Swing, of the Morgan Hill Police Department.
Last year, he said Morgan Hill police netted 11 DUI arrests over the holiday weekend; however a checkpoint was not used.
Swing said DUI checkpoints serve a two-fold purpose: they allow authorities to educate drivers about the dangers and consequences of driving impaired, as well as help police enforce DUI laws. More than 1,000 people drove through Saturday night's checkpoint, Swing said.
In South Santa Clara County, CHP spokesman Chris Armstrong said his office also saw a more than 50 percent decrease in DUI arrests this Labor Day compared to last year. He said there were 14 DUI citations this year, including one drunken bicyclist who hit an occupied car in Hollister.
However, across the county, the 125 DUI arrests for the 2008 holiday weekend were on par with last year's arrests, spokesperson Jan Ford, of the "Avoid the 13" campaign said.
There were no deaths related to impaired drivers in the county this Labor Day weekend, Ford said.
Statewide, however, there was a slight increase in the number of DUI arrests. Officers arrested 10 more people on suspicion of driving under the influence this Labor Day bringing the total to 1,416.
Randy Kalp Got a question or a comment? Send us an email.
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