REDLANDS>> The end of summer is traditionally marked by the Labor Day holiday, a time for our country to reflect on the hard work of our fellow Americans. The long weekend is celebrated through picnics, pool parties and barbecues, as families and friends enjoy the last few days of summer before fall and winter approach. Sadly, the Labor Day holiday is also one of the deadliest, with alcohol and drug impaired drivers endangering themselves and others on America’s roadways.
This year, the Redlands Police Department is partnering with police, sheriffs and the CHP across the state to stop impaired drivers and help save lives. The high-visibility national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, runs from Aug. 18 through Sept. 4.
A DUI/Drivers’ License Checkpoint took place from 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, through 1 a.m. Saturday in the northbound lanes of Church Street at Brockton Avenue. Motorists driving through the checkpoint were contacted by uniformed officers checking for alcohol- and/or drug-impaired drivers. Officers also checked to make sure all drivers had a valid driver license.
The purpose of the checkpoint is to promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers associated with drinking and driving, and serve as a deterrent to potentially impaired and unlicensed drivers.
Statistics nationwide show a dangerous trend in impaired driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 10,265 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2015, a three percent rise in deaths over 2014. That’s roughly one person killed every 51 minutes in 2015. That’s the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing each year, with no survivors. This is why Redlands PD is working to remind drivers that impaired driving is not only illegal, it is a matter of life and death.
Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment. When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, which now accounts for a growing number of impaired driving crashes.
In recent years, California has seen an increase in drug-impaired driving crashes. Redlands PD supports the new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety that aims to educate all drivers on what constitutes a DUI. If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana use can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.
Plan your sober ride home before the party begins as end of summer activities wrap up. It is never okay to drive impaired. Even if you’ve had one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation to get home safely.