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2,168 DUI Motorists Arrested in L.A. County Over the Holidays + More Checkpoints This Weekend
Photo by Pablo Hidalgo/Shutterstock
During a special enforcement campaign held from Friday December 14, 2012 through Tuesday, January 1, 2013, there were an estimated 2,168 arrests of motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Called "Avoid the 100," because it represents a joint effort by 100 law enforcement agencies operating in L.A. County, this kind of campaign is often run during holidays in order to make the roads safer at times when revelry often leads to intoxicated motorists. Agencies, like the LASD and the Los Angeles Police Department, held DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols to remove inebriated drivers from the streets.
Though the figure of 2,168 represents an early tally, since not all agencies have reported their totals, the 2012 number seems to be down from the same period in 2011, despite last year's campaign being two days shorter than this year's. In 2011, 2,433 DUI arrests took place in the same time period.
Certainly there were plenty alternatives to driving during the holidays, thanks to special promotions like free Metro rides on Christmas and New Year's Eves, or the Automobile Club's New Year's Eve Tipsy Tow program.
But law enforcement doesn't just want to yank tanked drivers off the road during the holidays; they'll nab them throughout the year. For example, the LAPD have already announced several DUI check points and patrols for this weekend:
Sobriety & Driver's License Checkpoints, Friday, January 4, 2013
- 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Lincoln Boulevard at Maxella Avenue, Marina Del Rey
- 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunset Boulevard at Orange Grove Avenue, Hollywood
- 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. Imperial Highway at San Pedro Street, Los Angeles
Sobriety & Driver's License Checkpoint, Saturday, January 5, 2013
- 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Roscoe Boulevard at Sheldon Street, Sun Valley
DUI Saturation Patrol, Sunday, January 6, 2012
- 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. North Hollywood Area
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Previously: Anti-DUI Campaign Nets 1,773 Arrests in L.A. County in 16 Days
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