DUI patrols, checkpoint to be held in Stanislaus for holiday weekend

A sobriety checkpoint and DUI patrols will be conducted by the Avoid the 12 Task Force in Stanislaus County this weekend. Officers are targeting intoxicated drivers on this first holiday weekend of the summer driving season, according to a news release from the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.

Memorial Day weekend traditionally finds travelers heading to local parks or waterways for outdoor activities, or gathering with family and friends for backyard barbecues, the release said. It’s also a popular time for college and high school graduation celebrations.

To help keep the roads safe:

▪ A DUI and driver’s license checkpoint will be set up at an undisclosed location in the county between 8 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday.

▪ Roving Avoid the 12 DUI patrols will be held throughout Stanislaus County over the three-day weekend.

▪ The California Highway Patrol is conducting what it calls a maximum enforcement period: All available officers will be on the region’s freeways and unincorporated roads from 6 p.m. Friday through midnight Monday.

Recent statistics reveal that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems. A study of active drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may impair driving (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent). Of the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent, at 7.4 percent, slightly more than alcohol.

Everyone should be mindful that if taking medication – whether prescription or over-the-counter – drinking even small amounts of alcohol can greatly intensify impairment effects.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 9:13 AM with the headline "DUI patrols, checkpoint to be held in Stanislaus for holiday weekend."