AVOID the 13 campaign in full swing

Officers participating in the AVOID the 13 DUI campaign arrested
38 drunk drivers in the opening weekend of the summer mobilization
effort, a program that began last Friday and runs through the Labor
Day holiday.
The 18-day event is funded by a federal grant allocated to curb
DUI injuries and deaths in historically the deadliest times to be
on the road. Sonoma County’s 13 law enforcement agencies are a
small part of a national effort that includes thousands of agencies
and national ad campaigns designed to discourage drunk drivers and
to remove those who do drive drunk from the roadways.
“We want to communicate with people to use alcohol responsibly,”
said Sgt. Ken Savano of the Petaluma Police Department, the
department that leads the countywide program. “If you use drugs and
alcohol, please don’t drive.”
This year’s summer mobilization includes four DUI checkpoints,
four of which were already held last weekend in the city of Sonoma
and in Santa Rosa. Savano declined to announce where and when the
next four would be held. “Obviously, we move them around,” he
said.
On top of checkpoints, AVOID the 13 receives funding from the
state’s Office of Traffic Safety to pay for more officers out on
patrol, many who are looking specifically for impaired drivers.
“Their sole purpose is to focus on DUI enforcement,” said
Savano.
What are they looking for? “There are all kinds of indicators,”
said Savano. “Driving too fast, or too slow. Weaving, drifting,
stopping short, stopping past the limit, driving with the window
down. Buying coffee at 7-11. There are many things that can give
you away. Most officers attend a weeklong school for detecting
impaired drivers.”
Among those participating in AVOID the 13 are the Windsor Police
Department, the Healdsburg Police Department and the California
Highway Patrol—all who regularly patrol the North County.
“The cooperative spirit sends a louder message that we’re all in
this together, and that we’re trying to improve traffic safety in
an area that takes a lot of lives and does a lot of damage,” said
Lt. Kevin Young of the Healdsburg Police Department. “Most
importantly, it’s something that’s preventable.”
Young also spoke to the problems involved with allowing people
to consume alcohol of any amount—and then drive. “As a society, we
probably need to rethink what price we’re willing to pay when we
have people operate a motor vehicle while driving,” he said. “It’s
not a good idea, it’s not safe.”
Windsor Police Chief Chris Spallino spoke to the benefits of
joining forces with the county’s other dozen agencies. “We always
try to enforce DUI laws but with AVOID the 13 we’re able to combine
resources and take on DUI checkpoints,” he said. “Sharing resources
really helps mitigate the problem.”
During last year’s summer mobilization DUI campaign, AVOID the
13 arrested 252 drivers for driving drunk in the 18-day period.
There were eight DUI injury collisions that injured 10 people.
There were no fatal accidents.