FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Caltrans Kicks Off Anti-DUI Public Safety Campaign

Gold Run - On the eve of the busy and often deadly Memorial Day holiday weekend, and in conjuction with a statewide kickoff being held at the Wildwood Safety Roadside Rest Area along Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County, Caltrans District 3 will be hosting a public education event at both the east and westbound Gold Run Safety Roadside Rest Areas on Interstate 80 in Placer County. Educational brochures and "Report Drunk Drivers - Call 911" promotional items will be distributed to all motorists who visit the Sierra highway rest stops by staff from Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol, the Alcoholic Beverage Control, and volunteers from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

This is all part of a collaborative effort with the Office of Traffic Safety, California Highway Patrol, and California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs to install signs at California’s roadside rest stops. The signs will encourage motorists to, "Report Drunk Drivers - Call 911", if they see a suspected drunk driver. The signs are part of a larger effort aimed at curbing Driving Under the Influence (DUI) across the state.

The goal of the new public safety campaign is to enlist the public's help in the effort to crack down on people driving under the influence. The full campaign is being developed statewide with the help of an advisory committee comprised of campaign partners and representatives from traffic-related departments under the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency: Caltrans, the CHP, the Office of Traffic Safety, the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Alcholic Beverage Control. Other campaign partners include MADD, the California Department of Alcohol & Drug Programs, Friday Night Live and PennySaver. Additional public events at roadside rest stops will be held today throughout the state.

“We hope that placing signs at the rest areas and handing out items to motorists with reminders to 'Report Drunk Drivers - Call 911' at the start of this Memorial Day weekend will serve as a reminder", said Jody Jones, Caltrans District 3 Director, "to the thousands of travelers who visit these two California roadside rest stops in the Sierra that they can have a role in keeping our roadways safe from drunk drivers". "Don’t drink and drive, and report those who do,” she added.

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