2007 December DUI Crackdown - Grantee Information
Press Room
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor:
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), surveys indicate that 75 percent of Americans are in favor of the use of sobriety checkpoints as a law enforcement tool. Here in California, I am personally committed to securing federal dollars to provide our state’s law enforcement community with the tools necessary to conduct sobriety checkpoints in as many communities as possible, particularly during the upcoming holiday season. Why? Because they work.
Studies conducted here in California and at the national level indicate that cities conducting sobriety checkpoints report substantial reductions in alcohol related crashes – and that translates to lives saved and injuries prevented. But it’s not about arresting drunk drivers. Although there were more than 197,000 DUI arrests in California in 2006, the tragedies caused by impaired drivers continue. The real value is the deterrent effect of sobriety checkpoints to prevent would-be drunk drivers before they ever get behind the wheel of a car.
On behalf of the thousands of law enforcement officers throughout the state who will be working overtime during the holidays, I ask for the public’s help – Report Drunk Drivers, Call 911. Knowing that millions of motorists across the state will be keeping their eyes open for unsafe drivers adds another powerful deterrent to the fight against drunk driving.
Sincerely,
Christopher J. Murphy
Director, California Office of Traffic Safety