A car plows through a portion of flooded roadway on Old Auburn Road outside Holy Family Church during recent rains on Oct. 16, 2016. // CH Sentinel
Citrus Heights police said a total of 13 collisions were reported on Oct. 14 in the city, more than five times the daily average.
The figure was reported by Lt. Jason Russo who noted that the collisions occurred on a weekend that brought the first significant rain of the season. Police document an average of around 700 collisions in Citrus Heights each year, or about two collisions per day in the city, according to the latest annual report provided by police to the city council.
In a statement Tweeted out by the Citrus Heights Police Department on Friday, the department said drivers are advised to use extra caution when driving in the rain and are legally required to have headlights on when windshield wipers are in use.
Police also noted that roads will be slick and visibility diminished with rain this weekend. They advised drivers to travel at a slower speed to account for increased stopping distance on wet pavement.
Updated Oct. 31, 11:37 a.m.–
Citrus Heights police announced plans on Thursday to deploy additional DUI officers on city streets this weekend, calling Halloween “one of the most deadly nights” for drunk or drugged driving accidents across the nation.
While Citrus Heights had zero DUI-related deaths last year, 2015 has seen five fatalities on the road so far – at least three of which involved alcohol as a “contributing factor,” according to police Lt. David Gutierrez. Most of the roadway deaths also involved pedestrians at night — and with the promise of heightened pedestrian traffic and drinking on Halloween night, police are preparing accordingly.
“If you want to stay safe this Halloween, and you’ve been drinking, make a plan to get home without driving,” Lt. Jason Russo said in a written press statement this week, recommending options like Uber or a designated sober driver. But police also cautioned about drinking-while-walking.
“Most people understand the dangers and risks of drinking and driving,” Lt. Gutierrez told The Sentinel in an email, Friday. “We’re urging the public to also consider the dangers of drinking and walking.”
Gutierrez said the majority of pedestrians who were killed or seriously injured on Citrus Heights streets this year were over the legal blood-alcohol content limit and urged pedestrians to not attempt walking on city streets and sidewalks while intoxicated. He also said wearing bright, reflective clothing at night is helpful and strongly advised pedestrians to utilize crosswalks or cross at intersections — something he said several of the pedestrians hit this year didn’t do.
Police also cited statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which previously reported pedestrian fatalities around the country doubled on Halloween in 2012, compared to the daily average that year. Overall, the traffic safety agency found nearly half the vehicle-related fatalities on Halloween night between 2009 and 2013 involved a drunk driver.
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Lt. Gutierrez said over the Halloween weekend, Citrus Heights police will be partnering with regional law enforcement to deploy officers designated for “DUI saturation patrol,” a term referring to units that specifically “hunt” for vehicles or persons showing signs of alcohol and-or drug impairment.
The local police department conducts at least a half-dozen highly visible anti-DUI operations each year, with funding from an NHTSA grant. Earlier this year, a Memorial Day weekendDUI crackdownresulted in 11 arrests, according to police.
Citrus Heights police officers netted three arrests during a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint at Antelope Road and Lauppe Lane from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m, Friday, according to results released by police today.
A total of 767 vehicles were screened during the six-hour checkpoint, resulting in the arrest of a DUI-alcohol suspect, a DUI-drug impaired suspect and another arrest for possession/transportation of illegal drugs, according to a press release by the Citrus Heights Police Department. 10 drivers were also cited for driving without a valid license, and three vehicles were impounded, along with issuance of 13 citations.
Citing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Department’s press release said “Checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent.”
CHPD acquires funding for its checkpoints through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the NHTSA, and plans to conduct another DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint in August, followed by a “DUI Saturation Patrol” operation on September 1.
Police officers plan to set up a DUI Checkpoint at an undisclosed location this weekend, as part of an effort to reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities, according to a press release issued by the Citrus Heights Police Department.
Officers from the CHPD Traffic Unit will be stopping drivers who pass through the checkpoint and checking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, beginning Friday at 7 p.m. and continuing until 2 a.m. Officers will also be checking for valid driver’s licenses, and “will strive to delay motorists only momentarily,” according to the release.
CHPD acquires funding for its checkpoints through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and has found the results to be successful — with the Department reporting that its last checkpoint resulted in two DUI-suspect arrests, 15 citations and three impounded vehicles. The six-hour checkpoint was held on August 1 and screened 820 cars at the intersection of Greenback Lane and Birdcage Street.
“The deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is a proven resource in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug involved crashes,” the release reads. “Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough.”
The Department is also planning a “DUI Patrol Saturation” for September 1, as part of its ongoing effort to reduce accidents and fatalities in Citrus Heights.
