DUI Checkpoints (Halloween 2014) – Bay Area

DUI Checkpoints (Halloween 2014) – Bay Area

Local law enforcement agencies will be out in force, utilizing sobriety checkpoints to deter drunk driving. With Halloween falling on a Friday this year, the large number of Halloween parties and other festivities offer plenty of opportunities for celebrants to get themselves into legal predicaments. And with potential crime penalties for DUI arrests, including jail time, costly fines, and a driver’s license suspension, avoiding a DUI is certainly in your best interest.

Northern California DUI Checkpoints: Friday, October 31, 2014

San Francisco – Cesar Chavez St. and Van Ness Ave – 7:00pm to 3:00 am

San Rafael – Point San Pedro Road East of Mooring Road for East bound traffic – 6:00pm – 3:00am

Novato –Areas of the City – 8:00pm – 2:00am

Mill Valley – Areas of the City – 8:00pm – 2:00am

Lodi- Areas of the City – 8:00pm – 2:30am

Modesto – Areas of the City – 8:00pm – 2:30am

San Jose – Areas of the City – 8:00pm – 2:30am

Halloween is one of the deadliest holidays of the year on our roadways. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2007-2011, 52 percent of all national fatalities occurring on Halloween night involved a drunk driver.

Males ages 21-34 comprised almost half of all drunk drivers who were killed in motor traffic crashes nationwide during the 2011 Halloween period. It is the deadliest night for child pedestrians of any night of the whole year.

If you are planning on attending a Halloween party this year, or even hosting a party yourself, there are ways to prevent yourself and your guests from driving under the influence of alcohol.

The following are easy steps to have a safe and happy Halloween:

Designate a sober driver
Take a taxi
Call a sober friend or family member
Find a sober friend to walk home with you, or refrain from walking all together.
If someone is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them make a safe travel arrangement to where they are going
Ask to stay at hosts home for the night
Do not sleep in your parked vehicle – it is possible to get a DUI without even driving

Consequences of Drunk Driving:
Driving while impaired is a crime. It risks your safety and the safety of those around you. Drunk driving is not worth causing a car accident, severe injury, or even death.

There are substantial legal and financial costs of drunk driving. Violators often face:

Jail time.
Loss of driver’s license.
Higher insurance rates.
Other unanticipated expenses, such as attorney fees, court costs, car towing and repairs, and lost wages due to time off from work.

Top Ten List of questions if you are pulled over for suspicion of DUI.

Have your license and registration ready to hand to police if pulled over. You don’t want to fumble around looking for those documents in front of the police when you are pulled over.
Do not answer any police questions. Politely refuse to answer questions about where you have been and whether you have had anything to drink.
If you are asked to exit the car you must comply. Be very careful in the way you exit the car – if you stumble this will be a clue for officers that could lead to your arrest.
Refuse to take the field sobriety tests. Don’t recite the alphabet. Don’t follow the pen light with your eyes. Politely refuse. These tests are very difficult to take under ideal conditions. On a side road in the middle of the night they are much harder for anyone to take – regardless of whether or not you have been drinking.
Don’t question the officer. Just politely refuse to answer questions and to take the tests that are designed to make you fail.
If you are taken to the station and asked whether you would like to make a phone call – you should make it.
If you are taken to the station and asked whether you would like a witness – you should request one and try to get someone to the station to view your condition.
We can’t give you advice on whether or not to blow into the in-toxilizer at the station. If you refuse to blow you will automatically lose your license for a year and there’s no way to even try to get a temporary permit for at least six months.
Remember not to speak at the station without an attorney present. Always be polite, but be firm in refusing to answer questions (other than your name etc.).
Always be nice! Being a jerk will always hurt your case.

P.S. AAA’s Tipsy Tow Program offers a free tow for drinking drivers in Northern California from 6 pm on most major holidays (read: popular times to get wasted) until 6 am the next morning, in Northern California, Nevada and Utah. And you don’t even have to be a AAA member. For Tipsy Tow, call (800) 222-4357 (AAA-HELP) and tell the operator, “I need a Tipsy Tow” for a free tow of up to 10 miles.