Santa Cruz Impaired Drivers Campaign

CHP Implements Regional Effort To Save Lives

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is instigating a regional impaired driving campaign in an effort to eliminate impaired drivers and save lives. To accomplish this mission and reduce traffic collisions involving impaired drivers, the CHP Santa Cruz Area office will use a federal grant to conduct a regional campaign focusing on impaired drivers in Santa Cruz County. The 12-month project starts October 1, 2017, and ends on September 30, 2018.

The CHP Santa Cruz Area will deploy officers on enhanced enforcement particularly on State Routes 1, 9, 17, 35, 129, 152, and 236; and problematic roadways within CHP Santa Cruz Area jurisdiction, such as Freedom Boulevard, Buena Vista Drive, and Graham Hill Road.

“This grant will help keep the momentum going by removing impaired drivers before they kill or severely injure themselves or others,” said CHP Captain Craig Kunzler, commander of the Santa Cruz Area office. “With a proactive approach to raise awareness and eliminate driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs, we can continue
to reduce the number of collisions occurring in Santa Cruz County.”

According to the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, there were 158 people injured and killed in 111 traffic collisions involving impaired drivers on CHP jurisdictional roadways within Santa Cruz County between October 1, 2014, and September 30, 2015. This CHP traffic safety effort will also include a community-based task force and a public awareness and education campaign to help reinforce the dangers of driving while impaired.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While alcohol remains the worst offender for DUI crashes, the CHP supports the new effort from OTS that aims to drive awareness that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” Prescription medications and marijuana by themselves, or in combination with alcohol, and can result in a DUI arrest.