The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department plans to ramp up efforts to apprehend drivers under the influence of alcohol and drugs in Palm Desert this weekend.
Additional deputies will be on patrol in unspecified portions of the city from 6 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday.
Drivers taking prescription drugs, particularly those with labeled warnings about driving or operating machinery, may also become impaired enough to get a DUI.
Marijuana can also be an impairment, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, sheriff’s officials said.
DUI arrests can lead to jail time and cost motorists up to $13,500, with fines, fees, classes, license suspension and other expenses factored in, according to the sheriff’s department.
The operation is being funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.