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Thursday, February 18th, 2010
The following is a press release sent to our Orange County DUI Lawyers regarding Orange County DUI Checkpoint Locations in Costa Mesa for February, 2010.
Release Date: February 17, 2010
PIO: Lieutenant Bryan Glass
714.754.5603
Sergeant Phil Myers
714.754.5074
Synopsis:
Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. In California last year 1,029 people died in crashes
involving a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. That is
why the Costa Mesa Police Department announced today they will be holding a DUI/Driver’s License
checkpoint on Friday, February 19 th , from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., on Baker Street at Bear Street.
“Make no mistake. Our message is simple. No matter what you drive—a passenger car, pickup, sport
utility vehicle or motorcycle—if we catch you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions. No
excuses,” said Sergeant Makiyama. “We will be talking to drivers, making sure they are not impaired,
arresting those who are, and getting the word out that impaired driving and driving without a proper
license is not acceptable in Costa Mesa.
The Costa Mesa Police Department advises that by following these easy steps, a driver can enjoy a safe
and festive evening without jeopardizing their life and the lives of the others who may be on the road.
Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;
Before drinking, designate a sober driver and give that person your keys;
If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public
transportation so you are sure to get home safely;
If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to call 911.
Driving impaired is simply not worth the risk. The consequences are serious and real. Not only do you risk
killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for driving while
impaired can be significant. Violators face jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance
rates, and dozens of other unanticipated expenses.
Funding for this checkpoint comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National
Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
Supervisor Writing / Approving Release: David Makiyama, Sergeant
Tags
Alcohol, Blood alcohol content, Driver's license, Driving under the influence, drunk driving, police, Road traffic safety, United States
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Thursday, February 18th, 2010
The information below is brought to you by our San Bernardino DUI Lawyers:
Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk -Avoid the 25 DUI Task Force Deploying Roving Saturation Patrols Super Bowl Sunday
San Bernardino, – Sheriff Rod Hoops announced today that he is teaming up with the National Football League (NFL), California Office of Traffic Safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and law enforcement officials to remind everyone to designate a sober driver if they plan to be drinking alcohol on Super Bowl Sunday.
This Sunday, law enforcement is again asking for the public’s help. “Drunk driving is the top priority for the police, CHP, and sheriff’s deputies, but everyone who is hosting a party and serving drinks could have one of the best defenses there is against drunk drivers; a Designated Sober Driver,” said San Bernardino County Sheriff Rod Hoops “We’re asking for our community’s help by planning for a Designated Sober Driver at every super bowl party long before kick off.”
Super Bowl Sunday is one of America’s biggest and most entertaining national sporting events as friends and families gather to socialize and watch the big game. Yet, it has also become one of the Nation’s most dangerous days on the roadways due to impaired driving. The Avoid the 25 San Bernardino DUI Task Force will be deploying DUI saturation patrols targeting those who drive impaired.
According to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes accounted for 32 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities. On Super Bowl Sunday 2008, 49 percent of the fatalities occurred in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher.
In California 11 people were killed Super Sunday 2009 and another 133 were injured in Alcohol Involved Collisions. Tragically, that is 3 times the daily average killed in California with alcohol as a factor and those injured were other twice the daily average.
“We continue to see far too many people hurt or killed as a result of impaired driving. Please do your part to stop this senseless crime,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “To help ensure that this happens, the Avoid the 25 partners are dedicated to arresting impaired driving. To help, we ask everyone; ‘Report Drunk Drivers, Call 911!’”
The following cities will have additional law enforcement personnel on patrol Super Bowl Sunday specifically to arrest drunk drivers: Victorville, Loma Linda, Yucaipa, Needles, Hesperia, Big Bear, Highland, Grand Terrace, 29 Palms, Yucca Valley, Redlands, Colton, Rialto, Barstow, Upland, Fontana, Chino and San Bernardino.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
If you are hosting a Super Bowl party:
• Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served ends up in an impaired-driving crash.
• Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers in advance, or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers.
• Serve lots of food and include lots of non-alcoholic beverages at the party.
• Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter of the game and begin serving coffee and dessert.
• Keep the numbers for local cab companies handy, and take the keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving while impaired.
If you are attending a Super Bowl party or watching at a sports bar or restaurant:
• Designate your sober driver before the party begins and leave your car keys at home.
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself—eat enough food, take breaks, and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
• If you don’t have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend, or family member to come and get you; or just stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober.
• Never let a friend get behind the wheel of their vehicle if you think they are about to drive while impaired. Remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.
• Always buckle up – it’s still your best defense against other impaired drivers.
Refer: Dave Phelps, Sergeant
Station: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
Phone No.: (909) 387-3700
ROD HOOPS, SHERIFF
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SHERIFF-CORONER DEPARTMENT
c/o Public Affairs Division
655 East Third Street
San Bernardino, California 92415-0061
Telephone: (909) 387-3700
Tags
Alcohol, Blood alcohol content, Driver's license, Driving under the influence, drunk driving, police, Road traffic safety, United States
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Thursday, February 18th, 2010
Information was passed on from the police via press release to our Riverside DUI Lawyers regarding DUI patrols for the Superbowl this year.
Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk
Avoid the 30 DUI Task Force Deploys Roving Saturation Patrols Super Bowl Sunday
Riverside, California- Riverside County AVOID the 30 program announced today that they are teaming up with the National Football League (NFL), California Office of Traffic Safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and law enforcement officials across the state to remind everyone to designate a sober driver if they plan to be drinking alcohol on Super Bowl Sunday.
“We want to pass our safety message to everyone who will be drinking this weekend, real Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk,” said Supervisor Karen Haverkamp, the Riverside County AVOID the 30 coordinator. “Please act responsibly, designate a sober driver before the Super Bowl party begins and leave your car keys at home.”
Super Bowl Sunday is one of America’s biggest and most entertaining national sporting events as friends and families gather to socialize and watch the big game. Yet, it has also become one of the Nation’s most dangerous days on the roadways due to impaired driving. The AVOID the 30 Riverside County DUI Task Force will be deploying DUI saturation patrols targeting those who drive impaired.
According to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes accounted for 32 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities. On Super Bowl Sunday 2008, 49 percent of the fatalities occurred in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher.
In California 11 people were killed Super Sunday 2009 and another 133 were injured in Alcohol Involved Collisions. Tragically, that is 3 times the daily average killed in California with alcohol as a factor and those injured were over twice the daily average.
“Designating a sober driver should be on the top of everyone’s Super Bowl party list,” said Riverside Police Chief Russ Leach. “It’s just one of several easy steps to help save lives.”
“We continue to see far too many people hurt or killed as a result of impaired driving. Please do your part to stop this senseless crime,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “To help ensure that this happens, the Avoid the 30 partners are dedicated to arresting impaired driving. To help, we ask everyone; ‘Report Drunk Drivers, Call 911!’”
Riverside County Avoid the 30 will be conducting enforcement operations across the county for the Super Bowl Sunday Crackdown. Saturation patrols will be held in Beaumont, Blythe, Canyon Lake, Coachella, La Quinta, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Palm Springs, Perris, Riverside, San Jacinto, and Temecula. In addition, CHP is on Maximum Enforcement for the weekend.
If you are hosting a Super Bowl party:
Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served ends up in an impaired-driving crash.
Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers in advance, or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers.
Serve lots of food and include lots of non-alcoholic beverages at the party.
Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter of the game and begin serving coffee and dessert.
Keep the numbers for local cab companies handy, and take the keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving while impaired.
If you are attending a Super Bowl party or watching at a sports bar or restaurant:
Designate your sober driver before the party begins and leave your car keys at home.
Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself—eat enough food, take breaks, and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
If you don’t have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend, or family member to come and get you; or just stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober.
Never let a friend get behind the wheel of their vehicle if you think they are about to drive while impaired. Remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.
Always buckle up – it’s still your best defense against other impaired drivers.
For more information, please visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org or www.avoidthe30.org
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Date: Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Contact: Karen Haverkamp, Traffic Bureau Administrative Supervisor
Phone: (951) 3353-7980 or khaver@riversideca.gov
Tags
Alcohol, Blood alcohol content, Driver's license, Driving under the influence, drunk driving, police, Road traffic safety, United States
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Thursday, February 18th, 2010
Is being nude going to get you out of a DUI arrest? Police say a Wisconsin woman stripped when they tried to haul her in for DUI after shoplifting … under the mistaken belief that a naked person can’t be arrested, according to the Sheboygan Press. Julia E. Laack, 36, is accused of stealing beef jerky and lighters at a convenience store. When police later came to her home to arrest her, she stripped, kicked, bit and even spit into the mouth of the female officer who tried to get her clothes back on… as her three children looked on.
According to police, Laack stole a bag of beef jerky and a lighter from a convenience store Thursday afternoon in clear view of the store’s security cameras. Police followed her home and got more than they bargained for when they tried to arrest her.
Investigators say Laack refused to come to the door when officers knocked to question her. She proceeded to scream and swear at her three children, blaming them for the shoplifting incident.
When police entered the residence to calm Laack down, she reportedly stripped down to her bra and panties in front of her children and police, telling officers that they couldn’t arrest her if she was naked. She was mistaken.
Laack reportedly fought with officers as they attempted to handcuff her, kicking one officer in the groin and spitting in another officers mouth. On the way to the police station, Laack pressed her naked buttocks up against the rear window of the patrol car.
Lack was booked into jail on charges of battery on a peace officer, resisting an officer, shoplifting and two counts of disorderly conduct. Laacks blood alcohol level was tested at 0.112%.
Tags
Alcohol, Blood alcohol content, Driver's license, Driving under the influence, drunk driving, police, Road traffic safety, United States
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Thursday, February 18th, 2010
The Costa Mesa Police Department conducted a sobriety checkpoint on Tuesday, December 29, 2009, at Santa Ana Avenue and 18th Street. Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency and is part of a National enforcement campaign.
During the hours of operation, 296 vehicles drove through the checkpoint, 142 were stopped, and 11 drivers were screened for driving under the influence. There was 1 DUI arrest. In addition, 3 drivers were cited for driving on a suspended license. A total of 11 citations were issued for miscellaneous vehicle code violations and 4 vehicles were impounded.
As I have said before and learned in my work as one of a handful of Orange County DUI lawyers, DUI checkpoints don’t work. Sobriety checkpoints are inefficient, with regard to both traffic safety and cost. This expensive tactic funnels limited resources away from a cheaper measure that has proven to be far more effective in combating drunk driving — roving patrols.
Checkpoints typically catch only one or two – often zero – drunk drivers, while inconveniencing hundreds or even thousands of responsible drivers. Alternatively, roving patrol programs arrest nearly 10 times more drunk drivers than checkpoint programs.
Why? Because checkpoints are highly visible, they are easily avoided by the chronic drunk drivers who cause the vast majority of alcohol-related fatalities. New technology makes it easy for friends to text one another to warn of a checkpoint’s location. There are even iPhone and GPS applications that tip off users to where a checkpoint is set up. Roving patrols, on the other hand, cover wide, unannounced areas, so drunk drivers can’t plan ahead to avoid them.
Not only do checkpoints yield fewer DUI arrests than roving patrols, they also carry a bigger price tag. Requiring a dozen or more officers, special equipment, and printed materials, checkpoints typically costs taxpayers over $10,000 a pop. On the other hand, a typical roving patrol with two officers runs about $300.
Patrols offer even more bang for the buck because in addition to stopping drunk drivers, they also catch drivers engaging in any number of other dangerous activities.
Think about the crazy behavior you see on the roads every day: sports cars whizzing past on the right, commuters talking on a cell phone or texting, “road rage” during rush hour.
But sobriety checkpoints won’t catch drivers who are speeding, swerving, texting, or driving aggressively. Because rather than patrolling the roads and highways looking for dangerous behavior, checkpoints actually pull cops off the streets and have them stand in one place in the hope that drunk drivers will come to them.
That’s not exactly targeted enforcement.
In addition to their high costs and low results, checkpoints harass responsible adults who drink legally and responsibly before driving. Having enjoyed a cocktail with dinner or a champagne toast at a wedding, drivers below the legal limit typically don’t exhibit symptoms of impairment, such as swerving and weaving. But even though these drivers don’t exhibit dangerous behaviors and have not broken the law, they are frequently stopped at roadblocks and arrested for “drunk” driving. Despite the fact that all 50 states list 0.08 blood alcohol content as the legal limit, law enforcement officers in many states will arrest drivers at checkpoints with any BAC above zero.
Tags
Alcohol, Blood alcohol content, Driver's license, Driving under the influence, drunk driving, police, Road traffic safety, United States
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Thursday, February 18th, 2010
From a Rapid City, South Dakota newspaper comes the following amazing story. I have to say, even with my forensic alcohol training, I did not believe it was possible to be at this blood alcohol level (0.708%), and be alive.
South Dakota authorities say a woman found passed out in a stolen vehicle may have set a state record with a blood alcohol content of .708, or almost nine times the legal limit.
Meade County State’s Attorney Jesse Sondreal says his research indicates that a level of .40 is considered lethal for about half the population, the Rapid City Journal reports.
Sondreal says the state’s legal limit is .08 and that state chemists cannot recall registering a blood alcohol content above .56, WKOW-TV of Rapid City reports.
The authorities say troopers found the woman, Marguerite Engle, 45, passed out beside a highway Dec. 1 in a van that had been reported stolen.
She missed her court appearance Dec. 15 but was found Monday sitting in another stolen vehicle in a ditch beside another highway near Fort Meade after another apparent round of drinks.
Her attorney declined comment, the Associated Press reports.
Update: TheSmokingGun.com is all over this story with photos and documents. Click here to see a mugshot of Engle, and here to read the official sworn affidavit by a chemist regarding her blood alcohol content. The website also posts a story of what it says is the reigning champ of blood alcohol content. That appears to go to a then-42-year-old Terri Comer who was arrested in 2007 in Klamath County in Oregon with a blood alcohol content of .720. Click here for more on that case. The documents show that Comer was found unconscious in her car by sheriff’s deputies who said the vehicle was in a snow bank and still running. They had to break a car window to free her.
Brought to you by our law firm’s Orange County DUI Lawyers.
Orange County DUI Lawyers
Tags
Alcohol, Blood alcohol content, Driver's license, Driving under the influence, drunk driving, police, Road traffic safety, United States
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Thursday, February 18th, 2010
The UPI had an interesting story from Australia that showed that ice cream had created a false positive on a breathalyzer test.
UPI article appears at
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/01/20/Ice-cream-causes-positive-alcohol-test/UPI-40821232496582/, and also below:
FRANKSTON, Australia, Jan. 20 (UPI) — An Australian man challenged to prove his claim that ice cream gave him a blood alcohol reading demonstrated his defense in court.
The man, whose name was not given, had asked Frankston Magistrates’ Court to remove the breath testing alcohol interlock device from his car, the (Melbourne, Australia) Daily Sun reported Tuesday.
Prosecutors inquired why the machine had registered a “fail,” which prevents the car from starting, despite the man’s claims that he had not been drinking.
The man claimed the alcohol reading was the result of eating a Bubble O’ Bill ice cream treat and Magistrate Rod Crisp ordered a test to be performed to back up the claim. Police recorded the man’s blood alcohol content as 0.00 and performed the test a second time after he took a few bites of Bubble O’ Bill, yielding a 0.018 reading.
Crisp granted the man’s request to remove the breath testing device from his car.
Experts said consuming some foods or drinks before breath tests can cause a false positive reading. It is recommended that that test subjects wait at least 15 minutes in between eating and blowing into the machine.
Tags
Alcohol, Blood alcohol content, Driver's license, Driving under the influence, drunk driving, police, Road traffic safety, United States
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Thursday, February 18th, 2010
From the popular website Cracked.com:
“Blood alcohol content, or BAC, is a measurement by volume of alcohol in your body. It can be taken with a blood test or with a breathalyzer. Here is a helpful chart for understanding what the numbers mean:…”
http://www.cracked.com/funny-1095-blood-alcohol-content/
Tags
Alcohol, Blood alcohol content, Driver's license, Driving under the influence, drunk driving, police, Road traffic safety, United States
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Thursday, February 18th, 2010
Another one of the Orange County DUI Checkpoint Locations for this holiday season has been revealed, this time in Seal Beach, and not on New Year’s Eve:
Beginning this Friday (01/01/2010) at 8:00pm, Seal Beach Police Department will be conducting a sobriety and drivers license checkpoint on Friday, January 1, 2010, in the south end of the city.
Orange County DUI arrests were headed down this year, until the State approved an all out 300 checkpoint holiday sweep, to bring stats up, for law enforcement funding. Looks like this might be the only up year in a 10 year decline in all crimes, especially DUI.
Brought to you by the Orange County DUI Lawyers of Robert Miller and Associates.
Tags
Alcohol, Blood alcohol content, Driver's license, Driving under the influence, drunk driving, police, Road traffic safety, United States
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Thursday, February 18th, 2010
Halloween is coming! And officers will be driving around, looking for cute girls in costumes to pull over drivers operating a motor vehicle above a 0.08% blood alcohol level. As of this writing (October 29th, 2009), I am not aware of any formal DUI checkpoints (which, statistics show, don’t work anyway). However, the more successful DUI Saturation Patrols are going to be in force this Halloween weekend, especially near areas where Halloween Parties are going to be commonplace.
The press release below, sent to me as a Lawyer in Orange County who practices DUI, is the police attempt at humor. The California AVOID campaign also has mention of special enforcement for Halloween.
Motorists Beware: Drunk Driving Will Not Be Tolerated!
Don’t Let Halloween Turn into a Horror Story
Halloween is a much-loved fall tradition that is enjoyed by people of all ages, but it is a particularly deadly night due to drunk drivers. This is why the “Avoid the 12” DUI Task Force will be cracking down on drunk drivers with an aggressive DUI enforcement effort.
“With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, we want to make sure revelers aren’t taking the party to the roadways, putting trick-or-treaters and responsible motorists at risk,” said Sgt. J. Brittain of the Sheriff’s Department’s Traffic Bureau. “Law enforcement officers throughout the region will be out in full force arresting and removing drunk drivers from our roads.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008, 58 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween night (6 pm Oct. 31 to 5:59 am Nov. 1) involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. In California, 462 individuals have been killed or injured in Alcohol Involved Collisions during the past five Halloween nights – 2004-2008.
The “Avoid the 12” Task Force will be deploying additional DUI patrols on Friday & Saturday night. Additionally, every traffic and patrol officer working this weekend will be focusing on removing impaired drivers before they crash. Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The “Avoid the 12” Task Force also recommends these simple tips:
Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;
Before drinking, please designate a sober driver;
If you’re ‘Buzzed’ – impaired, and haven’t designated a sober driver, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely;
If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact law enforcement;
‘Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1’
For more information, please contact Media Relations at (714) 647-7042. For information on “Avoid the 12”, please visit www.californiaavoid.org.
Tags
Alcohol, Blood alcohol content, Driver's license, Driving under the influence, drunk driving, police, Road traffic safety, United States
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