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SAN DIEGO California

San Diego's CHP, many zealous state agencies and the San Diego chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving announced plans Monday for an enforcement blitz targeting San Diego and California drunk driving over the Labor Day weekend.

During a late-morning briefing at the CHP's Border Division headquarters in Kearny Mesa, officials outlined the holiday crackdown, which will consist of long-running sobriety checkpoints and intensified patrols.

Last year, 25 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes statewide over the end-of-summer holiday weekend, noted Chris Murphy of the California Office of Traffic Safety and the Governors Highway Safety Association.


"It is important that we use all the tools and resources available to stop these senseless deaths and to send a clear reminder to drivers: If you are caught driving drunk this Labor Day weekend, you will be arrested," Murphy said. "No exceptions. No excuses."

The CHP is teaming with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the California Office of Traffic Safety, MADD and a San Diego County law enforcement coalition called "Avoid the 14" to implement the crackdown, joining more than 350 state law enforcement agencies that are stepping up their efforts.

The timing for the campaign is significant because Labor Day, a holiday celebrated throughout the nation with parties and parades, has unfortunately become notorious as a day when thousands of drivers make the often deadly decision to drive while intoxicated, officials said.

Alcohol-related traffic deaths are higher than at any time since 1997. Preliminary 2006 data from the California Highway Patrol show that in San Diego County alone, 115 people were killed in 2006 due to DUI crashes, while 3,052 were injured.

Statewide, 1,276 Californians were killed in 2006 in drunk-driving crashes in which the responsible motorist had a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or higher.

In the past year, nearly 13,500 people across the nation were killed in drunken driving crashes in which the drivers were above that legal limit of inebriation.

"Drunk driving is one of our nation's deadliest crimes, and we're working with our partners to eliminate it from our roadways," said NHTSA Deputy Jim Ports. "We need to come up with new solutions to solve the problem that address fatality numbers that have been too stagnant for too long."

Research has shown that well-publicized, highly visible and frequent sobriety checkpoints reduce alcohol-related crashes and fatalities by an average of 20 percent, California DUI officials said.

"There's just no excuse for driving drunk," said Pat Hodgkin of MADD San Diego, adding that the organization's goal is to "make it literally impossible for people to drive drunk."

CHP Chief Skip Carter echoed those sentiments, saying the ultimate objective of collaborative programs like the Labor Day crackdown is to "eliminate drunk driving in California. The solution is clear: Aggressive enforcement of drunk-driving laws reduces the number of injuries and deaths caused by drunk driving."

http://www.latimes.com