All photos by Stephanie Rivera.
Long Beach police will be scouring the city Saturday night in search of alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers as part of an ongoing traffic safety campaign.
Officers with the Long Beach Police Department’s (LBPD) DUI Enforcement Team will check for proper driver’s licenses among other things on Saturday, December 12, between 7:00PM and 3:00AM, throughout the city, in areas with high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests.
“When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, which now accounts for a growing number of impaired driving crashes,” according to a statement by the LBPD.
In the past three years, officers with the LBPD have investigated 1,032 DUI collisions, which have resulted in seven deaths and 370 injuries, according to LBPD officials.
In the state, impaired driving has led to 867 deaths and more than 23,000 serious injuries in 2013. Nationally, the most recent data shows over 10,000 people were killed by an impaired driver.
Damaged vehicles have recently been placed throughout the city, as part of the LBPD’s annual holiday campaign to raise the public’s awareness about unsafe driving.
In a release, the LBPD encouraged the use the California Office of Traffic Safety Designated Driver VIP (DDVIP) mobile app, which is now available for mobile download. Through the app, which launched last year, users will be able to locate establishments that offer incentives for participating in the app, which helps users order a sober ride from Uber, Lyft or Curb, all on one screen.
Funding for this DUI operation is provided to the LBPD by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminding everyone to ‘Report Drunk Driver – Call 9-1-1’.