Salinas Police amp up DUI Enforcement for Cinco de Mayo

The Salinas Police Department is taking a different approach to Cinco de Mayo patrols. DUI enforcement patrols were sent out but they aren’t just worried about drunk drivers.

Though Cinco de Mayo is a fun time for most, Salinas PD says it has become a deadly day because of drivers who are under the influence.

Salinas Police hope to prevent impaired driver crashes this year with what they call High Visibility Enforcement. It uses DUI Checkpoints and DUI Saturation patrols to keep drunk drivers off the road.

This year, specially trained officers will be available to catch people driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs, something they say accounts for a growing number of impaired driving crashes. Past number have shown that proactive patrols like this have reduced DUI involved crashes by up to 20 percent. Police are going to be out until 3 a.m. Saturday morning. Over the past three years in Salinas, police have investigated 474 DUI collisions, which have claimed four lives and resulted in another 205 injuries.

Officers encourage partiers to plan a sober ride home which is much cheaper than being caught driving under the influence. Fees for that can run up to $10,000.

If you do need a ride home AAA will be giving free rides for all including non-members. Just call 1-800-AAA-HELP between now and 6 a.m.