Why DUI’s Are Not Just For Booze in Whittier, CA

In the last years, California has seen a disturbingly increase in drug-impaired driving crashes.  The Whittier Police Department encourages the new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety which their primary goal is to educate all drivers that “DUI does not Just Mean Booze.”  If you are taking prescription drugs, particularly those that disclose driving or operating machinery warning on their labels, you might get disqualified enough to get a DUI.  Marijuana can also be impairing, especially combined with alcohol or any other drug, and may result in a DUI.

The restraint effect of High Visibility Enforcement using both DUI Checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols has demonstrated to lower the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug impaired car crashes. Investigation shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be decreased by up to 20 percent when regularly conveying well-publicized proactive DUI operations.

DUI Checkpoints like this one are set in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests, providing the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving disincentive. The Whittier Police Department chooses with safety attention for the officers and the public.  

In California, collisions involving alcohol led to 1,155 deaths and nearly 24,000 serious injuries in 2014 because an individual failed to designate a designated driver. Over the course of the last three years, the Whittier PD officers have researched 344 DUI collisions which have taken four lives and ended in another 66 injuries.

At a DUI checkpoint officers will be watching for signs of alcohol and drug impairment, and checking drivers for adequate licensing, stopping motorists only momentarily.  When possible, specially trained officers will be ready to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, which now considers for an increasing number of impaired driving crashes.

Research on California drivers has shown that 30 percent of drivers in fatal collisions had one or more drugs in their systems.  A study of drivers showed that more of them tested positive for drugs that may diminish driving (14 percent) than those that did for alcohol (7.3 percent). Out of the drugs, marijuana was the most common one, at 7.4 percent, slightly more than alcohol. Everyone should be careful that if you are taking medication – whether prescription or over-the-counter – drinking even small amounts of alcohol can severely intensify the impairment effects.

DDVIP App

Drivers are encouraged to download the Designated Driver VIP, or “DDVIP,” a free mobile app for Android or iPhone. The new DDVIP app offers improved features, letting users to “Map a Spot” with their actual location to find DDVIP partnering businesses in their area or a “List of Spots” to explore all participating bars and restaurants in California. Users can stay up-to-date and see what other users are posting via its social tab. Additionally through the app, for those who want to drink but also make it a point to plan, users can quickly order a ride calling Uber, Lyft or Curb – all from the same screen.

Designated sober drivers can look at the profile of the bar they choose and use the “Offer” tab to obtain exclusive deals, with the capability to share the deal with friends on social media. The partnering bars and restaurants in the state have volunteered to offer nonalcoholic specialty drinks (“DDrinks”), among other benefits, to designated sober drivers.

Drivers surprised driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, bail, fees, DUI classes, fines, license suspensions, and other costs that can exceed $10,000 not to mention the shame when friends and family find out about it. Find information about Bail Bondsmen in Whittier.

Funding for this checkpoint provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to the Whittier Police Department, reminding everyone to always ‘Report Drunk Driver – Call 9-1-1’.

Here you have some tips for a safe drive:

• Buckle Up, at every single trip, every time.
• If you are having a tire failure, a fender bender or engine problems, move out of traffic paths and off the highway if possible – freeway shoulders are not safe for repair work
• Always plan, use a Designated Sober Driver.
• If you see drunk or reckless drivers, it is legal for you to call 911 and we encourage you to do so.  Some signs can help motorists detect a drunk driver:
  • Traveling at speeds much slower than the flow of traffic
  • Excessive weaving/swerving, especially in and out of the lane
  • Unexpected stops for lights and slow starts once they change
  • Making wide turns and/or cutting the corner striking the curb
  • Stopping erratically or stopping in the lane
  • Staying at the signal lights after they turn green – falling asleep at the wheel.

Watch a video with 10 most essential road safety tips.

Read about Whittier School Bus Death of Student “Paul” Lee Brought to Justice