Officers from the San Francisco Police Department's traffic unit will conduct SUI saturation patrols on Memorial Day evening, the last day of the three-day holiday weekend.
The patrols will be conducted between 7 p.m. May 31 and 3 a.m. June 1. A San Francisco police spokesperson said research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized DUI checkpoints and proactive DUI patrols are conducted routinely.
Police officers will look for signs of alcohol and drug impairment. When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving.
Recent statistics reveal that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems, police said.
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A study of active drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may impair driving (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent).
Of the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent, at 7.4 percent, slightly more than alcohol.
Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, other expenses that can exceed $10,000.
