Monterey Park Police to Deploy Extra DUI Patrols to Crack Down on Drunken or Drugged Driving

Drivers are reminded to “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”

Officers from the Monterey Park Police Department’s DUI (Driving Under the Influence) Enforcement Team were deployed to stop and arrest alcohol and drug- impaired drivers in the department’s ongoing traffic safety campaign. DUI Saturation Patrols were deployed on Friday, March 28, 2014 between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. in areas with high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests.

“We are working to make our community safe from impaired drivers,” said Monterey Park Police Chief Jim Smith. “This is a ‘zero tolerance’ crackdown so ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over!’”

In California, this deadly crime led to 774 deaths in 2011 because someone
failed to designate a sober driver. In Monterey Park over the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed one life and resulted in 33 injury crashes harming 44 of our friends and neighbors.

DUI can impact the economy in addition to the pain and suffering of those immediately affected. Conservatively, a fatality has a $1.4 million impact, an injury $70,000, and a crash that only damages property averages nearly $9,000.

“California’s roadways are very much safer today than they were just a few years ago,” said Chief Smith. “The Monterey Park Police Department will be keeping the pressure on through enforcement and public awareness so that we can continue saving lives and prevent injuries.”

Funding for this program is from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Report drunk drivers, call 911!

Monterey Park Police Department Special Traffic Enforcement Campaign Targeting Traffic Safety

Police to increase enforcement aimed at dangerous, careless motorists & pedestrians impacting traffic

The Monterey Park Police Department conducted a special Traffic Safety Enforcement Operation on Wednesday, April 2, 2014. Extra officers were on duty patrolling areas where officers have responded to frequent collisions cracking down on driving and pedestrian violations that cause collisions, injuries and fatalities.

Motorist failing to yield to pedestrians and those walking into traffic are a serious safety concerns that puts everyone on the road at risk. In the most recent release of data – 2010, 578 have been killed and 11,429 seriously injured in California as a result of collisions that involved pedestrians. In Monterey Park officers have investigated 44 pedestrian involved fatal or injury collisions.

Drivers & pedestrians who break the law and place themselves and others in danger will be cited. Officers will focus efforts in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic especially at intersections, streets where speed related collision are high and they will pay particular attention towards distracted driving – those using hand held cell phones or texting.

Officers remind motorist to slow down and obey posted speed limits, signs and signals; stay alert and always give pedestrians the right-of-way. Those on foot should always use crosswalks, use sidewalks, walk facing traffic where there are no sidewalks, and never walk into traffic. If you are walking in crosswalks, always watch for motorist who may not see you – except the unexpected while crossing the street.

To avoid a distracted driving ticket or crash, Monterey Park PD offers drivers the following tips:

• Turn off your phone and/or put it out of reach while driving.
• Include in your outgoing message that you can’t answer while you are driving.
• Don’t call or text anyone at a time when you think they may be driving. 
Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Monterey Park Police Joins Crackdown on Texting and Handheld Cell Use Behind the Wheel

As part of April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign, Monterey Park will be joining with over 200 other local law enforcement agencies and the California Highway Patrol in a month long “zero tolerance” enforcement and education campaign to curb those texting or operating hand-held cell phones while driving. Officers will be on alert throughout the month for those who break the cell phone laws and place themselves and others in danger. Special high visibility enforcement operations to cite cell phone violators will take place on April 3, 8, 17 & 22, 2014.

The increased enforcement and education aims to persuade drivers to recognize the dangers of distracted driving and reduce the number of people impacted by this perilous behavior. The “It’s Not Worth It!” theme emphasizes that a phone call or text isn’t worth a hefty
fine or a collision. The current minimum ticket cost is $161, with subsequent tickets costing at least $281.

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. In addition, studies show that texting while driving can delay a driver’s reaction time just as severely as having a blood alcohol content of a legally drunk driver. According to research, sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. Even a three second glance at freeway speeds means a driver has traveled the distance of a football field.

Research shows that there is no difference in the risks between hands-free and hand-held cell phone conversations, both of which can result in “inattention blindness” which occurs when the brain isn’t seeing what is clearly visible because the drivers’ focus is on the phone conversation and not on the road. When over one third of your brain’s functioning that should be on your driving moves over to cell phone talking, you can become a cell phone “zombie.”

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.