MADD SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WANTS EVERYONE TO HAVE A SAFE LABOR DAY WEEKEND, AND STAY SAFE ON THE ROADS

16 Aug MADD SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WANTS EVERYONE TO HAVE A SAFE LABOR DAY WEEKEND, AND STAY SAFE ON THE ROADS

— MADD and The California Highway Patrol promote a safe Labor Day holiday —

WHAT:            This summer, the Southern California Region of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will work together to remind local communities to designate a non-drinking driver to ensure everyone gets home safely this Labor Day holiday.  From August 17, 2018 through September 3, 2018, MADD and law enforcement are partnering with the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in a special Labor Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement mobilization to get impaired drivers off the street and to spread the word about this dangerous crime.

As part of the Labor holiday enforcement campaign, the CHP will implement a Maximum Enforcement Period and deploy their Impaired Driver Task Force. The CHP is also conducting DUI Checkpoints statewide throughout the Labor Day Holiday.  Funding for this DUI enforcement was provided by grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“MADD urges the community to help make the roads safer than ever this Labor Day holiday.” said Patricia Rillera, Regional Executive Director, MADD Southern California. “We hope residents will help spread the message of planning ahead by designating a non-drinking driver if celebrations include alcohol.”

“We need our community to understand: It’s up to them to make the smart decision to drive sober—Labor Day, and every day,” said Sergeant Saul Gomez. “Drunk driving is a huge problem in our country, and the numbers are rising, little by little. This isn’t about a ticketing campaign. This is about a campaign to get the message out that drunk driving is illegal and it takes lives. Help us put an end to this senseless behavior,” he said.

Over the 2016 Labor Day holiday period (6 p.m. September 2 – 5:59 a.m. September 6), there were 433 crash fatalities nationwide. Of the fatal crashes, more than one-third (36%) involved drivers who were impaired (.08+ blood alcohol concentration [BAC]), and one-fourth (25%) involved drivers who were driving with a BAC almost twice the legal limit (.15+ BAC). Age is a particularly risky factor: Among the drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 who were killed in crashes over the Labor Day holiday period in 2016, 47 percent of those fatalities involved impaired drivers with BACs of .08 or higher.

The timing is significant because on Monday, July 13, 2018, Alex Barragan, of Norwalk, was allegedly under the influence while driving his car on the 605 freeway near Alondra Boulevard when he rear ended a disabled van. The van erupted into flames killing two people and injuring three others.           

WHEN:            August 17, 2018 through September 3, 2018

WHERE:         Undisclosed locations in Southern California

CONTACT:

MADD Southern California

California Highway Patrol

Patricia Rillera, Regional Executive Director

Sergeant Saul Gomez

(714) 838-6199 ext. 6654

pat.rillera@madd.org

(818) 240-8200

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