Palm Springs is a popular vacation spot for Los Angeles residents. But before traveling to this desert attraction, vacationers should be aware of the town’s reputation for having a problem with drunk drivers.
KPSP News reports that the city of Palm Springs had the most alcohol related crashes for 2009 among 98 California cities that are similar in size. There were a total of 67 drunk driving crashes that year and three people died in two of these DUI accidents.
The "party town" reputation isn't new. In fact, Palm Springs has actually been labeled as the worst city for drunk driving among cities of its size in eight out of the past nine years. Why the high number of DUI accidents for a town that has less than 50,000 people? There seems to be a lot of places to go out and drink in the community, which could be considered an invitation to get behind wheel and drive while impaired. Apparently, there are nearly 200 bars and restaurants in Palm Springs, which is far more than most other cities of its size.
Police officers and deputies in the community are now looking to crack down on drunk drivers in Palm Springs through more enforcement measures, including DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols. The Desert Sun reported last week that the Palm Springs police conducted a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint on Friday to reduce deaths and injuries related to driving under the influence of alcohol. Funding for the checkpoint came from state and federal government grants.
Related Resources:
- Find a Los Angeles DUI Attorney (FindLaw)
- Drunk Driving Defense During and After a Stop (FindLaw)
- Field Sobriety Tests and Sobriety Checkpoints (FindLaw)
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