Avoid the 21 DUI crackdown kicks off Friday

SELMA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A national DUI task force known as Avoid the 21 kicked off their end-of-summer crackdown on Friday. Multiple agencies will be joining forces to look for impaired drivers and get them off the streets.

"Be responsible. Family members need to step up, friends need to step up, have the respect for the community, the party that they are with, do not drink and do not drive," said CHP Capt. Dave Paris.

The amount of fatalities caused by drunk-driving crashes rises from 1 every 54 minutes to 1 every 34 minutes during Labor Day weekend. Agencies across the nation and here locally hope to get ahead of the game by starting their enforcement period early.

The DUI crackdown will consist of the usual checkpoints, but also saturated patrols in areas that have numerous bars and restaurants.

"Here alone in Fresno County we have approximately 54 fatal collisions to date, with 64 fatal victims; that means parties in the vehicle that are passengers that have died as a result of somebody's negligence," said Capt. Paris.

It's an alarming statistic that Victoria Flores' son Rick became a part of in March 2010. She is now a volunteer for the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving, helping spread awareness about the dangers of driving under the influence.

"He died so needlessly," said Flores. "Drunk driving is 100 percent preventable, and there is no reason that this happen."

It's a preventable crime with serious consequences to consider. The Fresno County District Attorney's Office says first-time offenders can get sentenced up to six months in county jail. Since January 2014, nearly 3,500 DUI cases have been filed. Of those cases, 88 have involved death or injury.