SACRAMENTO – California Highway Patrol (CHP) Commissioner Joe Farrow has an important message for citizens of the Golden State who plan to be on the road this holiday season.“Please choose to put the lives of your family and other motorists first this holiday season,” says Commissioner Farrow, who cautions against the dangers and consequences of impaired driving.
“Those who fail to heed this warning will be removed from the roadway and arrested,” he warns.
Nearly 1,000 lives are lost here in California every year at the hands of an impaired driver. In order to save lives and reduce the number of alcohol related collisions and injuries, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is engaged in an effort called “Impaired Driving Enforcement and Apprehension (IDEA) II.”
“Our goal with this aggressive education and enforcement campaign is to deter drivers from making the poor decision to drink and drive,” says Commissioner Farrow.
California has seen a significant reduction in the number of alcohol-related collisions year after year. According to the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, there were 1,146 people killed in alcohol-involved collisions in 2009 . The following year, in 2010, there were 972 people killed, representing a 15% decrease.
Preliminary data for 2011 shows that the encouraging downward trend is continuing.
“The majority of motorists make the responsible decision and refrain from driving under the influence,” says Commissioner Farrow.
The IDEA II grant enables the CHP to conduct sobriety and driver license checkpoints, driving under the influence (DUI) task force operations, and deployment of proactive DUI enforcement patrol operations statewide.
In addition, the CHP will educate drivers by holding local traffic safety presentations throughout California, and implement a statewide paid media campaign.
Anti-DUI efforts stemming from the year-long grant continue through Sept. 13, 2013.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
