Fortuna Police Department press release:

The 2014/15 Winter Holiday DUI Mobilization crackdown on drinking drivers has ended and resulted in a significant number of DUI arrests from the Sobriety Checkpoints, Special Saturation Patrols and routine patrol in the Humboldt County “Avoid the 8” DUI Campaign for the past 21 days.

From 12:01 AM Friday December 12th, through Midnight Thursday January 1, 2014 officers representing 8 county law enforcement agencies have arrested 60 (eight in the last 24 hours) individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In 2013/14 77 DUI arrests occurred during the 20 Day holiday campaign.

These numbers are in comparison to last year’s totals during the holiday period. Law enforcement officials will be conducting more Avoid DUI operations throughout the county and region next during Super Bowl Sunday in February and then again for local St Patrick’s Day Festivities in March. Police and the CHP encourage all motorists to help law enforcement every day: Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1 anytime you encounter an impaired driver.

DUI Checkpoints, along with regularly scheduled high visibility DUI enforcement, are proven strategies with the goal of removing impaired drivers from the road and heightening awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), sobriety checkpoint programs can yield considerable cost savings: $6 for every $1 spent. Multiple DUI Campaigns are planned in 2015.

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