SLTPD adds DUI saturation patrols over holiday weekend

The holiday season has arrived. As Americans prepare for travel and festivities with family and friends, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to remind all drivers that it’s dangerous to drive after drinking. You have to choose your role before drinking begins: will you drink or will you drive? Remember, even if you only have a little bit to drink and think you’re “okay to drive,” you could still be over the legal limit, because Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.

South Lake Tahoe Police Department has plans for 2 roving DUI Saturation patrols Friday, November 28th and Saturday November 29th, 2014.

Sgt Shannon Laney explained the slogan: “A lot of folks think they know their own limits. They think that if they’re just a little ‘buzzed,’ then they’re still good to drive.” But according to the 15-year veteran of South Lake Tahoe PD, this couldn’t be further from the truth. “Time and again, drivers who may have only had a couple of drinks put themselves and others at serious risk,” he added. “Driving with any alcohol in your system can be dangerous.”

This anti-drunk-driving campaign aims to inform all Americans about the dangers of driving after drinking—even after drinking just a little. Drunk driving has become a terrible killer on our nation’s roads. Every year, more than 10,322 people are killed by drunk drivers in America. This time of year is especially dangerous due to holiday celebrations and frequent parties.

So this holiday season - Thanksgiving through News Years, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department urges you to plan ahead: designate a sober driver. If you plan on drinking at all, don’t plan on driving. Don’t just assume that you’ll know whether you can safely drive or not at the end of the night.

South Lake Tahoe PD reminds drivers, please remember these tips to avoid a DUI and keep our roads safe:

· Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time and increase the risk of getting arrested for driving drunk or having a crash.
· If you will be drinking, do not plan on driving. Plan ahead; designate a sober driver before the party begins.
· When you know you’ll be drinking, leave your keys at home or give them to someone else.
· If you have been drinking, do not drive—even a short distance. Call a taxi, phone a sober friend or family member, use public transportation.
Remember, it is never okay to drive after drinking. Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. The cost of cab fare is nothing compared to a $10,000 DUI or the cost of someone’s life, and the ‘inconvenience’ of not driving your own car home is nothing compared to the inconvenience of spending the holidays behind bars.