There's been a 44 percent decrease in the number of DUI tickets issued by authorities during the Memorial Day weekend that ended at midnight Monday, May 28.
According to the latest numbers from the 'Avoid the 13' DUI campaign, which officially began at midnight Friday, May 25, there were 64 fewer arrests made this year for driving under the influence in Santa Clara County, from 144 in 2011 to 80 this year.
The DUI campaign concluded with the deployment of one sobriety checkpoint, seven special DUI saturation patrols and officers on routine patrol focusing special attention on impaired drivers to lower deaths and injuries on streets and highways, said Santa Clara County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jose Cardoza in a written press release.
The DUI numbers are provisional and may change as other agencies have yet to report their arrests, Cardoza noted.
Another bit of good news this year is that no DUI-related deaths or car-crash injuries accidents were reported during the campaign.
Law enforcement officials will be conducting more anti-DUI efforts throughout Santa Clara County and the region during the July 4 Independence Day holiday and the 18-day campaign in August, which will end after the Labor Day weekend.
Authorities encourage motorists to watch and report impaired drivers by calling 911.
Funding for the Avoid the 13 campaign comes from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Safety Administration.
The DUI arrest breakdown for municipalities throughout the county is as follows:
Campbell, 0
CHP, San Jose, 28
Gilroy, 3
Los Altos, 0
Los Gatos, 4
Milpitas, 3
Morgan Hill, 1
Mountain View, 5
Palo Alto, 1
San Jose, 28
Santa Clara, 0
Sheriff, 3
Sunnyvale, 4
San Jose State University, 0
