Crime & Safety

Los Altos PD Gives Locals Safety Reminders for Holiday Weekend

The Fourth of July is a favorite holiday for many Americans, often celebrated with food, parades, parties and fireworks. For some, the celebration includes alcohol, but the fun can quickly go from festive to fatal when people decide to drink and drive.

The County-wide Avoid the 13 DUI Task Force will be out in full force, aggressively targeting impaired drivers tomorrow and over the holiday weekend. Every law enforcement agency in Santa Clara County is ramping up enforcement in order to make our roads safer. That means a zero tolerance stance on drug and alcohol impaired driving. If you drink and drive, you will be targeted for arrest.

Several DUI saturation patrols will be out in various areas throughout the County. The CHP will also deploy all available officers onto freeways and county roads for its Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP).

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The Los Altos Police Department would like to remind motorists to plan a safe ride home before the celebration begins. 

If you drive drunk, you not only put your life and the lives of others at risk, you could face a DUI arrest. The average DUI costs $10,000, making it difficult to recover financially.

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  • Before drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.
  • If you’re impaired, call a taxi, a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.
  • If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate calling 9-1-1.
  • Remember, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

Whether you’ve had way too many or just one too many, it’s never worth the risk to drive impaired. There’s always another way home. This Fourth of July, if law enforcement pulls you over for drunk driving, you will be arrested.

Avoid the 13 DUI Task Force funding is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Leave the Fireworks to the Professionals

Not only are fireworks illegal in the City of Los Altos, but on average, 200 people go to the emergency room every day with fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July 4thholiday. 

Don’t be one of them - leave the fireworks to the pros! For a list of professional fireworks displays in Santa Clara County, check out this list, courtesy of Santa Clara County Fire: http://www.sccfd.org/forms/fireworks_fact_sheet_2014_english.pdf


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