Jan 8, 2004

Drunk driving arrests up slightly in Santa Clara County during holiday “Avoid the 13” campaign
No fatalities reported during largest-ever crackdown

The annual holiday anti-drunk driving campaign known as “Avoid the 13” resulted in 870 DUI arrests during the 22-day reporting period Dec. 12 through Jan. 2. There were 79 non-injury DUI-related traffic collisions and 26 DUI traffic incidents involving injuries. There were no reported DUI-related fatalities for Santa Clara County.

The 2002-2003 effort resulted in 812 total arrests, and one fatality.

"Our primary goal in this program is to keep the drunk driver off the road," said Los Altos Police Chief Don Johnson, who is also president of the Police Chiefs Association of Santa Clara County. "Participation by county law enforcement agencies was at an all-time high. The fact that arrests were only slightly higher year to year while enforcement was greatly increased tells us the campaign is working."

Interagency strike teams made up of police, sheriffs, CHP and campus police patrolled the streets and highways during typically high traffic holiday evenings. Several sobriety checkpoints, staffed by various agencies, were positioned at strategic locations. Educational materials, including flyers and posters urging designated drivers, were distributed county wide.

Originally named “Avoid the 13,” the campaign now has 16 participating agencies, from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office to the San Jose Evergreen Community College District.

Funding for the “Avoid the 13” program is provided by a grant from the California Office of
Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. The campaign is sponsored by the Santa Clara County Police Chiefs Association, and includes participation by these agencies: Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff, San Jose Police Department, Santa Clara County District Attorney, Campbell Police Department, Milpitas Police Department, Gilroy Police Department, Morgan Hill Police Department, San Jose State University Police, Santa Clara Police Department, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department, Palo Alto Police Department, Los Altos Police Department, Mountain View Police Department, Sunnyvale Police Department, West Valley/Mission College Police and the California Highway Patrol.