San Rafael, CA - As friends and family plan vacations during the final days of summer, the San Rafael Police Department is reminding everyone to stay safe by always choosing a sober way to go.

No matter how you choose to celebrate the end of summer and Labor Day weekend, make sure you do so responsibly. Take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your family by buckling up, ditching the distractions, following the speed limit, and never driving impaired.

To help keep our community safe during the busy late summer and Labor Day weekend travel season, SRPD will have additional officers on patrol from August 18th through Labor Day (September 6) looking for drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The increased efforts to address impaired driving are part of a national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

In addition to roving patrols, the San Rafael Police Department will hold a DUI Checkpoint on September 3, 2021, from 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM at an undisclosed location within the city of San Rafael.

“Driving impaired is risky and puts yourself and others around you in serious danger,” Captain Glenn McElderry said. “If you are taking a road trip over the next few weeks, make good choices and drive like your closest friends and family are in the cars around you.”

Forty-five people were killed in crashes throughout California over the 2019 Labor Day holiday period, and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) made more than 1,000 arrests for driving under the influence during the 78-hour Labor Day weekend enforcement period alone.

Driving while impaired is not just from alcohol. Prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and marijuana may also impair. If you plan on drinking or taking medications with a driving warning label, let someone who is sober drive. If you see someone driving impaired, call 9-1-1.

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