drunk driving

While the public makes plans to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and other law enforcement agencies are preparing to keep the roadways free of impaired drivers so that everyone can safely enjoy the festivities.

SLTPD is adding two patrols on Saturday to watch for drunk drivers on local roads, and CHP officers will be doing to the same.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - The Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) attempted to pull over a vehicle in Carson City Thursday night, but the driver refused to stop and led officers on a chase until the car crashed in the El Dorado County portion of the South Shore, over 35 miles away.

NHP followed the car up Spooner Summit on Highway 50 to Stateline. Per protocol they won't engage in high speed chases so followed him until he approached Stateline. Troopers called ahead to South Lake Tahoe, advising police that the vehicle was headed in their direction.

The Nevada Highway Patrol Association (NHPA) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) announced a new strategic partnership today. The partnership will combine the NHPA's goal of continued safety on Nevada's highways and MADD's goals to end drunk and drugged driving, support victims of drunk driving, and bring an end to underage drinking.

Between 2011 and 2015, 369 lives were lost in Nevada in alcohol-related crashes, one of the deadliest and most often committed of crimes on the road. Impaired drivers have consistently been the most common cause of motor vehicle crashes resulting in injuries and deaths in Nevada which is a serious safety epidemic.

There is someone injured in a car accident every two minutes, and someone killed every 53 minutes in the United States involving an impaired driver. This is a preventable crime, and lives can be saved by following some simple steps.

It wasn't record setting, but it was disturbing for safety officials in Nevada to read the reports that more people died on Nevada roads in 2016 than the previous year.

Preliminary data shows that 327 traffic fatalities occurred on the state's roads in 2016, one more death than in 2015. There were five more crashes, more pedestrians deaths by vehicles (5), and more motorcyclist deaths (21).

Alcohol related crashes and deaths decreased in 2016, with 11.46 percent fewer deaths and 15.38 percent fewer crashes relating to drunk driving.

Over the past three Halloweens there have been a total of six traffic deaths and 417 crashes during the past three Halloweens in Nevada, so the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) and Nevada Department of Public Safety (NDOT) has joined together to remind both drivers and pedestrians to be safe.

Due to some sobering facts, El Dorado County District Attorney's Office is ramping up efforts in preventing drunk driving.

While the full-time population in the county is fairly small, a large number of visitors increase those numbers during ski season, holidays, gold country and winery visits, gambling at Red Hawk and Stateline, and during trips to Apple Hill.

El Dorado County ranks fifth worst in the state for lethal drunk driving incidents involving drivers between the ages of 21 and 34, and third worst in the state for drunk driving incidents involving drivers under the age of 21.

The California and Nevada Highway Patrol, South Lake Tahoe Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office are reminding everyone who celebrates St. Patrick’s Day that no one is immune from the consequences of drunk driving.

Drunk driving is a top problem for both states, and local law enforcement will be joining forces to boost enforcement efforts and initiating a impaired driving mobilization period from March 17 to March 31, 2016.

If you’re enjoying the holidays with a drink, South Lake Tahoe Police Department has a message for you: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. Due to the increase in drunk-driving-related fatalities around the holidays each year, law enforcement agencies across America will be actively searching for and arresting drunk drivers from December 18 to January 3.

Halloween is often recognized as a holiday that offers just as much fun for adults as it does for children. Youngsters may look forward to a night of trick-or-treating, but many adults choose to partake in the festivities, too – oftentimes with alcohol included. While Halloween may be a spooky night, the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and California Highway Patrol (CHP) want to help ensure that it is also a safe one. If you plan on making alcohol a part of your celebrations this year, designating a sober driver or finding a safe ride home should be a top priority.

Rain may have moved the ceremony indoors, but spirits weren't dampened as the South Lake Tahoe Police Department honored some of their own on Thursday in honor of National Peace Officer's Memorial Day.

"We are normal people who are asked to do extraordinary tasks," SLT Police Chief Brian Uhler told the audience of the officer's families, friends, City Council, city staff, community members and other area law enforcement including the El Dorado County Sheriff, CHP and the FBI.

The California Highway Patrol is reminding drivers to be on the winning team on Super Bowl Sunday by not drinking and driving. With plenty of parties around the South Shore, including those at the casinos, local bars and private homes, the opportunities to drink will be plentiful.

California's Office of Traffic Safety reports a DUI arrest can add up to more than $17,000. The biggest hit comes from insurance premium increases, which can be upwards of $12,000.

The holiday season has arrived. As Americans prepare for travel and festivities with family and friends, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to remind all drivers that it’s dangerous to drive after drinking. You have to choose your role before drinking begins: will you drink or will you drive? Remember, even if you only have a little bit to drink and think you’re “okay to drive,” you could still be over the legal limit, because Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.

The California Highway Patrol, Nevada Highway Patrol and Douglas County Sheriff's Office will be joining forces over the holiday weekend in South Lake Tahoe by conducting sobriety, car safety and driver's license checkpoints on both sides of the state line.

The California Highway Patrol will have their checkpoint in Meyers on Saturday, July 5 on U.S. Highway 50 between Pioneer Trail and State Route 89. It will be staffed by officers who are trained in the detection of alcohol and/or drug impaired drivers.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department used Peace Officer Memorial Week to honor a few of their own along with some local citizens on Thursday.

In a ceremony in front of the police station, Police Chief Brian Uhler bestowed the following awards:

- Officer Andy Eissinger received an award for Distinguished Service
- Dispatcher Jillian Broadfoot awarded for Meritorius Service
- Todd and Zetta Friedel and Cory Escobar received the Citizen Award of Merit
- Explorer Daniel Loyola received the Distinguished Explorer award

The 2014 monthly lecture series from UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center begins January 28 with a presentation on the dangers of radon. Eric Matus of the Nevada Radiation Control Program will lead a public lecture titled “Radon: What you don’t know could hurt you” beginning at 6 p.m. at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences.

The lecture will be at Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village, Nevada (on the campus of Sierra Nevada College). No-host bar at 5:30 p.m., lecture at 6:30 p.m.

The 2014 monthly lecture series from UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center begins January 28 with a presentation on the dangers of radon. Eric Matus of the Nevada Radiation Control Program will lead a public lecture titled “Radon: What you don’t know could hurt you” beginning at 6 p.m. at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences.

Most Americans may not realize it, but the Fourth of July is one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to alcohol-impaired driving crashes. That’s why this Fourth of July the Avoid the 6 DUI Task Force is stepping up enforcement efforts as part of the ongoing “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement crackdown to catch and arrest impaired drivers who put themselves and others at risk.