Sheriff's Department Warns to 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' Labor Day Weekend

Drinking and driving is never the answer, but the San Diego County Sheriff's Department wants you to think twice this Labor Day before driving home from the holiday festivities.

The agency announced Thursday that it will continue its "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign throughout the holiday weekend.

Deputies and officers from the CHP and 14 other law enforcement agencies will conduct extra patrols and DUI/driver license checkpoints during Labor Day weekend. None are being held in Ramona, but nearby neighborhoods, like Poway and Santee, will have checkpoints for those driving down the hill:

• Aug. 31 – 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. in Encinitas, Santee and Poway
• Sept. 1 – 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. in Imperial Beach
• Sept. 2 – 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. in Santee (AVOID)

The nationwide crackdown started Aug. 17 and will continue through Sept. 3. As of Aug. 26, 417 people have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to the sheriff's department.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says Labor Day weekend is the second most deadly day of the year on our roadways. The sheriff's department said a report released by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office in July found 242 people were killed in car crashes in the county last year. Nearly half of those killed or 45 percent were under the influence of alcohol.

"By joining this nationwide effort, we will make the county's roadways safer for everyone throughout the Labor Day period.” stated Sheriff Bill Gore in a press release. "If you've had too much to drink, don't even think about getting behind the wheel. Driving impaired is simply not worth the risk. Remember, we will be out in force and we will be watching, so 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.'”

The sheriff's department said funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.