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 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, April 18, 2014 between the hours of 9:00 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 Kicks Off High Visibility “Click It or Ticket” Seat Belt Enforcement

The Monterey Park Police Department wants to remind motorists to “Click It or Ticket.” In order to enforce this reminder, beginning Monday, May 19th, officers will be joining in the 2014 national seat belt enforcement mobilization and cracking down on motorists who are not belted.

Even with a seatbelt usage rate of 97.4 percent, California still has 800,000 or more who aren’t buckling up. In a crash, they stand a 50 percent greater chance of being killed than those who have taken the two seconds to buckle in. In an on-going effort to reach those remaining safety hold-outs, police, sheriff and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) departments across the state will be taking part in Click It or Ticket from May 19 through June 1.

“Memorial Day weekend kicks off summer vacation season, and we want to
ensure that everyone arrives at their destination safe and sound,” Monterey Park Police Chief Jim Smith said. “If you are not wearing your seat belt, you will be ticketed.”

According to new data released from the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), fatalities are up nationwide for the first time in five years. In 2012, 10,335 people who were killed in motor vehicle crashes were not wearing their seat belts. NHTSA data also details how more traffic vehicle deaths occur at night. In 2012, 61 percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed during the nighttime hours of 6:00 p.m. – 5:59 a.m. were not wearing their seat belts.

“Wearing a seat belt is one of the easiest and best things you can do to protect yourself in the event of a car crash,” said Rhonda Craft, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “Taking a few moments to properly secure yourself and all your passengers before going on your way could mean the difference between life and death.”

The cost for a seat belt violation in California for unbuckled vehicle occupants over age 16 is a minimum of $161 for a first offense. The penalty fees for failing to properly buckle up any child under the age of 16 is a minimum $490 per child for a first offense, plus a violation point will be added to the driver’s record. If the parent is not in the car, the driver gets the ticket.

For more traffic safety information, visit the California Office of Traffic Safety at www.ots.ca.gov or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Click It or Ticket mobilization, www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.