Save Newport Real News in Newport Beach
Starting Friday through Monday, between 8pm and 2am, there will be DUI Saturation Patrols throughout the city, and concentrated in areas with high frequencies of DUI collisions and/or arrests.
The cost of a ride home is cheap. Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspensions and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.
DUI Saturation Patrols are claimed to reduce drunk driving mostly by deterrent, but also serve to actively arrest those who are driving under the influence. They also cause significant traffic delays, so if you are in a rush, be aware!
This is a good time remind everyone that when you drink, please call a taxi or use Uber, Lyft, or another service to ensure that you and others make it home safely. This year, thanks to California politicians passing AB5 banning contract workers from working, Uber and Lyft may not be available. Fingers crossed that the deadline tomorrow is met by them, to at least squeeze through this busy weekend. If you take a cab, please remember to bring a working credit card or cash, to avoid other– let’s say– “unfortunate situations” that may arise from a $16 cab fare that some overzealous officers may wish to push beyond the limits.
Checkpoints generally consist of about 30 officers, according to historic averages. These officers spend 8 hours for a full days work between ~8pm and ~2am. The pool of your tax dollars that fund this effort are from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
New users of Uber can use my code of “Uber4Newport” and it will pay for the first $15 of your fare. You can download Uber here: https://get.uber.com/invite/uber4newport
New users of Lyft can use my code of “SAVENEWPORT” and it will pay for the first $50 of your fare. You can download Lyft here: https://www.lyft.com/invited/SAVENEWPORT
You can call a Yellow Cab OC, at 714-999-9999
MAKE NOTE:
1) 18004mytaxi is no longer working, call the Yellow Cab OC number, above.
2) The Downtowner has been run out of business by Diane Dixon’s seasonal bus idea, so this is no longer a viable way to move around town.
In 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 10,497 people died nationwide in motor vehicle traffic crashes involving drunk drivers. Right here in California, 1,059 DUI deaths (involving a BAC of .08 or above) were reported to NHTSA that year.
