CHP makes Attempts to Foil Cinco de Mayo Drunken Driving Menace

On Tuesday, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) set up a DUI checkpoints at Madison Avenue and Hemlock Street in Sacramento to decrease drunken driving accidents at Cinco de Mayo.

Cinco de Mayo is the biggest party of the year at Roseville's Mexican restaurant in Zocalo. It is considered as one of the top 10 drinking holidays and so there is a high risk of drunken drivers on the roads. In 2013, 36% of the fatal crashes on Cinco de Mayo were caused by drunk drivers.

CHP is setting up DUI saturation patrols which will ensure more officers on duty. The CHP is also working forward to create a program that would offer free DUI-breath tests.

Chad Hertzell, CHP officer, stated," We'd rather do that than you getting into a collision and killing someone. You don't know how many people are going to be in that car, it could be a family of five, you could kill all of them, and yourself".

The CHP has made a resourceful move by teaming up with Uber. The tie-up will offer a safer alternative to driving after drinking. Uber is offering free $25 vouchers for first-time users.

Jynece Avery, a regular Uber app user, appreciated the transportation service claiming that it is a safer option even if you don't know how much you are going to drink. Another Uber rider, Allen Ortillo, called these services as most inexpensive and yet the safest way to get home.

Data from CHP has revealed that more than one third of traffic-related deaths in the Golden State are caused due to alcohol consumption.

In recent weeks, a mother and two daughters in Yolo County and three brothers in Yuba City, have fallen prey to the intoxicated drivers. But most importantly, the real responsibility to curb the peril falls on the drinkers and the drivers.