Don't Drink and Drive: DUI Patrol Planned for Napa This Weekend

NAPA, CA -- If you're planning on going out for drinks with friends of co-workers this Friday night, you may want to plan ahead to make sure you have a safe ride home.

Officers from the Napa Police Department’s DUI Enforcement Team are expected to be deploy this weekend to stop and arrest alcohol and drug-impaired drivers as part of the NPD's ongoing traffic safety campaign.

DUI Saturation Patrols will be in effect from 6 pm Friday, Feb. 24 to 2 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 in areas of the city known to have high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests.

The NPD says its officers will look for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment and that when possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving.

Studies of California drivers have shown that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems. A study of active drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may impair driving (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent). Of the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent, at 7.4 percent, slightly more than alcohol.

Patch file photo