Bay Area law enforcement agencies reported a slight increase in the number of arrests during a DUI enforcement campaign over the Independence Day holiday weekend, even as DUI arrests increased across the state.
The campaign netted 385 arrests for driving under the influence during the three-day period from Friday evening through midnight Monday, up from 378 during the same time last year.
Statewide, the CHP reported a 16 percent increase in the number of arrests compared to the same period last year, with 1438 arrests up from 1239 arrests last year.
Beyond the Bay Area, Monterey County enforcement effort resulted in almost three-times as many arrest compared to last year, jumping from 17 arrests in 2009 to 50 arrests this weekend.
As was the case last year, there were no alcohol-related fatal crashes in the Bay Area, although there were at least three injury vehicle crashes that are believed to be alcohol related.
A woman was seriously injured early Friday morning in San Mateo County in Pacifica when the motorcycle she was riding on as a passenger crashed near the Sharp Park Golf Course.
The motorcycle driver in that crash was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Two people were injured in two separate alcohol-related crashes in Sonoma County, in Rohnert Park Friday night and Santa Rosa on Saturday, but officials did not disclose the nature of those incidents.
Local and county law enforcement agencies deploy saturation patrols and conduct sobriety checkpoints in countywide clusters as part of an awareness campaign known as Avoid.
The campaign strives to inform drivers that the only way to avoid law enforcement officers is to drive sober.
In all, the 41 countywide crackdowns, funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, cover 98 percent of the state’s population.
