New Year's Revelers Urged to Plan Ahead

As the New Year’s festivities approach, Bay Area police agencies are ramping up enforcement efforts as part of a statewide holiday DUI crackdown.

According to a Bay City News Service article, the crackdown has netted more than 1,000 arrests throughout the Bay Area since Dec. 16.

A large portion of those arrests - 485 - were made in Alameda County, home of four command centers for the California Highway Patrol (Oakland, Castro Valley, Dublin and Hayward).

However, fewer DUI arrests have been made in Alameda and Contra Costa counties this year compared to last year during the same period, according to Jan Ford, public information director for Avoid the 21, a campaign sponsored by the Office of Traffic Safety and the Alameda County Chiefs of Police Association.

In Alameda County, 588 arrests were made last year compared to 485 this year.

In Contra Costa County, 279 arrests were made last year compared to 188 this year.

“We attribute this to less people drinking and driving, and realizing the severe consequences of the crime,” said Ford.

Avoid the 21, which includes 21 separate law enforcement agencies in Alameda County, is based on education and zero tolerance enforcement of driving while under the influence. The campaign runs from mid-December through Jan. 3 each year.

“The Avoid campaigns in California are the largest funded DUI crackdowns in the United States,” Ford said. “Avoid the 8 (San Francisco County) was named best multi-jurisdictional campaign in California by the California Law Enforcement Challenge and third in the country by the National Law Enforcement Challenge.”

As part of an annual DUI warrant sweep, Alameda County law enforcement authorities arrested 52 offenders with outstanding DUI-related warrants on Wednesday. The warrant clearance effort has been executed for the past five years, according to Ford.

She said law enforcement will be out in force throughout the Bay Area this weekend, patrolling and conducting DUI checkpoints, including one in San Francisco starting at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Folsom and Eighth streets.

"Anyone who's planning on going over to the city had better be stone-cold sober," Ford told Bay City News.

She encourages drivers to take a bus or a cab if they are planning on drinking.

"Even if you take a cab back to the East Bay, that's $50 to $60 - much cheaper than a DUI arrest," she said.

Another checkpoint will be in Fremont Saturday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. The location will not be disclosed until 4 p.m. Saturday, according to Ford.

She said Richmond and San Pablo police will have a checkpoint tonight, although the location has not been disclosed.

To avoid any temptation to drive on New Year’s Eve, Ford recommends planning ahead.

“One thing that people should do today, if they are planning on going out tomorrow night, is to find someone who will not be drinking to bring them home,” she said. “And if you plan to take a cab to the party, you won’t be tempted to drive home.”

BART is another option. Trains will run until 3 a.m. Sunday morning to accommodate the New Year festivities.

“If you start wondering about how to get home after you’ve started to drink, the alcohol distorts your judgment and it’s very hard to make a good decision at that point,” Ford said. “That’s what alcohol does.”