Peninsula City Dials UP DUI Enforcement As Holiday Weekend Looms

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — A Peninsula city is dialing up its efforts to raise awareness about impaired driving ahead of the upcoming holiday weekend.

The Pacifica Police Department on Wednesday started adding additional patrols to target impaired drivers. The additional patrols will remain in effect through Sept. 5 (Labor Day), interim Police Chief Kirk Stratton said.

A DUI checkpoint scheduled for Labor Day weekend is part of the national Driver Sober or Get Pulled Over awareness campaign.

The checkpoint is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 3 to 2 a.m. the next day at an undisclosed Pacifica location.

“Whether traveling locally or taking a longer road trip to see friends and family, please have a game plan for how to get home safely,” Pacifica Police Sergeant Mansker said in a statement.

“There is never a good excuse for driving after drinking or using drugs that impair.”

In 2020, 1,159 people were killed throughout the state in drunk driving-related crashes, accounting for 30 percent of all traffic deaths.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.