This holiday season, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will be out looking for drunk and drugged drivers as part of a special year-end “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement mobilization.

“Beginning Friday, December 16 and continuing into the New Year, you will see stepped up enforcement watching closely for anyone who is driving impaired,” said Captain Scott Johnson. “We want to keep our roads safe for holiday travelers, so we will have zero tolerance for drunk or drugged driving.”

As part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign period, Police, Sheriff, and California Highway Patrol will be deploying DUI checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols during the upcoming 17-day DUI crackdown throughout the region.

Drugs such as prescription medication, marijuana or illicit drugs can impair judgment and get you the same DUI arrest as alcohol. Nationally in 2014, 32,675 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes with 9,967 people killed in crashes involving an impaired driver. In California, total highway deaths were reported at 3,126 with 1,155 lives lost in alcohol or drug impaired collisions. If you’re caught driving impaired by alcohol or drugs, you could face jail time, fines, loss of driver’s license, towing fees, and other DUI expenses, totaling $10,000 on average.

“Driving under the influence is not only costly, but can ruin the holidays for you, your family or for someone else’s family,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. “Make the decision to drive sober or use our DDVIP app to help you find a safe ride home for yourself or your friends if you know they’ve been drinking.”

Drivers are encouraged to download the Designated Driver VIP, or “DDVIP,” free mobile app for Android or iPhone. The DDVIP app helps find nearby bars and restaurants that feature free incentives for the designated sober driver, from free non-alcoholic drinks to free appetizers and more. The feature-packed app even has social media tie-ins and even a tab for the non-DD to call Uber, Lyft or Curb.

As a driver, plan ahead with these tips:

• Arrange rides home for your friends, family, co-workers and yourself before the drinking begins.
• Identify and provide free non-alcoholic drinks or other promotional items to the “Designated Driver”.
• Party hosts and servers must limit drinks to your guests or patrons. Don’t serve more than one or two over several hours.
• Cut back on the amount of drinks you plan to bring to the party and provide plenty of food.

For more information on the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign and all OTS efforts, visit www.ots.ca.gov. To learn more about the DDVIP app, please visit the OTS Facebook at www.facebook.com/CaliforniaOTS or follow OTS on Twitter @OTS_CA.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department wants everyone to have a safe and memorable holiday season, and is calling on everyone to be alert; ‘Report Drunk Drivers – Call 911!’

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