KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Most communities in King County will have extra officers searching for drivers who may be mixing drinking and driving during Cinco de Mayo.
Last year, law enforcement in King County made 47 impaired driving arrests on Cinco de Mayo. From 1999 to 2005, these extra patrols caught 200 people driving while impaired on Cinco de Mayo in King County. The extra patrols are coordinated by Public Health - Seattle & King County and the King County Traffic Coalition.
“We should have safe and respectful celebrations of Cinco de Mayo, which is a day of remembrance for people of Mexican heritage and a commemoration of the Batalla de Puebla in 1862,” said King County Executive Ron Sims.
Cinco de Mayo has been celebrated in the United States as a cultural holiday by Mexican-Americans. Recently, the day has been adopted as a general holiday by others and is often celebrated with parties and drinking.
“Celebrate this holiday but do it safely. If you will drink, plan how you will get around before you start drinking, and ride with a sober designated driver, take a taxi, or use public transportation,” said Dorothy Teeter, Interim Director and Health Officer for Public Health - Seattle & King County.
“Drinking drivers kill and seriously injure hundreds of people in King County every year. Impaired driving is no accident,” said Amy Freedheim, King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor for felony traffic crimes. “We are serious about removing these drivers from the road and prosecuting them for the heartbreak they cause.”
Police departments in King County will have extra officers patrolling streets, roads, and highways in the suburban cities across King County. The Seattle Police DUI Squad will be out in strength on Seattle’s streets and the Washington State Patrol will have its DUI team working the interstates and other area roads.
“Impaired drivers do not belong on the road on Cinco de Mayo or ever,” said Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske. “If you drink and drive on Cinco de Mayo a police officer, sheriff’s deputy or state trooper will find and arrest you.”
Leaders from the Mexican, Mexican-American, and Latino communities encourage all King County residents to enjoy local Cinco de Mayo festivities but remind people to ride with a sober driver if they drink while celebrating the holiday. The following organizations and businesses support this traffic safety effort:
- Azteca Restaurants
- SeaMar Community Health Center
- Consejo Counseling & Referral
- El Centro De La Raza
- Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
King County Traffic Safety Coalition
The King County Traffic Safety Coalition is staffed by Public Health - Seattle & King County. Members include representatives from law enforcement agencies from across King County, the Eastside DUI Task Force, the Washington State Liquor Control Board, DUI victims’ groups, traffic engineers, non-profit organizations, and others. Funding for the Coalition is provided by the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission.
Public Health – Seattle & King County is among the largest metropolitan health departments in the country, providing effective and innovative health and disease prevention services that achieve and sustain safer and healthier communities for over 1.8 million residents and visitors of King County . Answering the needs of an increasingly diverse population, Public Health - Seattle & King County touches people's lives every day through health promotion and prevention activities, disease surveillance, health care, outreach and referral services, environmental health services, emergency medical care, jail health services, and readiness and response to public health emergencies.
|
