Drunken drivers beware

The Marysville and Yuba City police departments are set to receive nearly $400,000 in traffic safety grants to use toward DUI enforcement and campaigns.

Through the state's Office of Traffic Safety under the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, Marysville will receive $312,449 to put toward the Avoid the Nine DUI campaign, according to a press release from the governor's office.

Avoid the Nine is an anti-DUI task force that includes agencies in Yuba, Sutter and Colusa counties. The program increases patrols and sobriety checkpoints to find and arrest intoxicated drivers.

Marysville police Sgt. John Osbourn said the grant will enable the program to increase saturation patrols and have more DUI checkpoints throughout the year.

"We'll be in the field looking for drunk drivers, but we'll also have the opportunity to educate the public at large," he said. "Drunk driving is a 100 percent preventable crime."

Osbourn said the grant now allows the program to operate checkpoints over Memorial Day, Labor Day and the winter holidays through New Year's. With this grant, he said, patrols could be seen on additional holidays such as the Fourth of July.

Yuba City will also receive $81,668 for a DUI enforcement and awareness program.

The two grants are a part of $66 million in grants for traffic safety that were given to 153 agencies and communities across the state.

Contact Appeal reporter Andrea Koskey at 749-4709 or akoskey@appealdemocrat.com