DUI detail on tap for this weekend

If you’re planning on heading out this weekend to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, don’t drink and drive.

The Yuma Police Department and the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting an impaired driving detail Thursday to Saturday, the agencies announced.

Additional officers will be on the street looking to stop and arrest drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs, YPD and YCSO said.

“With help from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the focus will be impaired driving and the apprehension of impaired drivers. The City of Yuma Police Department will also actively enforce traffic laws and get impaired drivers off the road, raise public awareness about the dangers of impaired driving, and most importantly, to save more lives on our roadways,” YPD noted.

“The Sheriff’s Office aggressively enforces the state’s 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) law, Administrative Per Se laws (immediate driver license suspension), 0.04 percent BAC law for commercial vehicle drivers and the 0.01 percent BAC limit for drivers under 21 years of age (zero-tolerance),” YCSO said.

YPD offered some suggestions for a safer St. Patrick’s Day weekend, including:

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.

• Before drinking, please designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home.

• If you’re impaired, use a taxi, Uber, call a sober friend or family member.

• If you happen to see an impaired driver on the road, call 911.

• If you know someone who is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them make other transportation arrangements.