Authorities plan to step up DUI enforcement for Cinco de Mayo weekend

Local police officials, along with the California Highway Patrol, plan to ramp up patrols for drunk drivers this Cinco de Mayo weekend.

The so-called “saturation patrols” will begin tonight at 6 p.m. and last through weekend as many people throughout region no doubt celebrate the holiday with a good measure of tequila. Authorities say that’s fine, just be sure to designate a sober driver before hitting the road.

Police in cities throughout the county will be participating in the “Avoid the 100 DUI Task Force” campaign, which is funded allocated by the California Office of Traffic Safety.

“In this day and age, there is no excuse for driving drunk,” the office’s director, Christopher J. Murphy, said in a statement.

The CHP, meanwhile, plan to step up patrols on freeways and unincorporated parts of the county, according to an announcement released today.

-- Jason Wells, Times Community News

Twitter: @JasonBretWells