Mayors, Police Chiefs, Athletes Ready to Drink, Drive at Infineon Raceway
Mayors, Police Chiefs Ready to Drink and Drive at Infineon Raceway S.F. GIANTS PITCHER JESSE FOPPERT, TENNIS STAR BRAD GILBERT ALSO SET TO PARTICIPATE IN HOLIDAY SOBRIETY CHALLENGE SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) - Northern California mayors and police chiefs will be drinking and driving at Infineon Raceway, all with the blessing and endorsement of the California Highway Patrol. The facility will host the 7th annual "Holiday Sobriety Challenge" on Friday, Dec. 19, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The event features a controlled wine and beer tasting experiment that graphically illustrates how alcohol consumption affects driving performance, even at levels well below the legal limit (.08-percent). This year's event will have a twist, as six mayors, one vice-mayor and three police chiefs have accepted the challenge. Other community members will also participate in the challenge, as well as San Francisco Giants pitcher Jesse Foppert, a San Rafael native and graduate of San Rafael High School. Foppert went 8-9 with 101 strikeouts in 21 starts for the Giants in 2003. Tennis star and San Rafael resident Brad Gilbert, who won 20 titles during his 13-year career and coached Andre Agassi to a No. 1 ATP ranking, will also participate. The experiment will raise awareness for the Bay Area Regional Avoid effort for the holiday season, which begins Dec. 12 with DUI checkpoints throughout the nine Bay Area counties, as well as roving DUI enforcement. Bay Area Regional Avoid is comprised of all 125 law enforcement agencies in the nine Bay Area counties, and the message is clear: If you are planning to consume alcohol, be sure to have a designated driver. "This time of year the temptation to climb behind the wheel after a couple of drinks is all too present. We hope this program can help remind people of the reasons to resist that temptation," said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway. Mayors/police chiefs/city council members and a vice-mayor will participate in the challenge: * H. Abram Wilson, San Ramon Mayor * David Glass, Petaluma Mayor * Harry Price, Fairfield Vice-Mayor * Susie Boyd, Davis Mayor * Sharon Wright, Santa Rosa Mayor * Rob Schroder, Martinez Mayor * Joe Costello, Sonoma Mayor * Ken Brown, Sonoma City Council * Dick Ashford, former Mayor of Sonoma * Kathy Samuels, San Ramon Police Chief * Steve Krull, Livermore Police Chief * Mike Dick, Calistoga Police Chief Statistics within the Bay Area reflect a need for programs such as the Holiday Sobriety Challenge. Alcohol was involved in 162 collision-related fatalities in the nine Bay Area counties in 2002, and 5,278 persons were injured in alcohol-involved collisions, also in 2002. Moreover, 171 children between the ages of 4-12 were injured and four children (ages 4-12) were killed in 2002 as a result of alcohol-involved collisions. Figures used have been supplied by the California Highway Patrol. "Since 1998, the state has dovetailed the nation with increases in the number of people killed in alcohol-involved collisions," said Christopher J. Murphy, deputy director of the Office of Traffic Safety. "In California, the number of people killed in alcohol-involved collisions is up 32-percent. These are deaths that clearly can be prevented." The participants who will take part in the experiment at Infineon Raceway will each be served wine or beer upon arrival. After consuming the alcohol, testers will then be taken through a series of field sobriety tests by law enforcement officers, including a Breathalyzer analysis, before being asked to drive around a pre-determined course at speed. They will be joined in the cars by instructors from the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School for safety. Nearly 70-percent of those who have taken the Holiday Sobriety Challenge over the last three years have failed. In addition to mayors, city council members and police chiefs, other participants in the challenge will include college students, working professionals, retirees and media personnel. Robert Mondavi Winery will provide the wine for the experiment, while the Napa Valley Brewing Company will supply the beer.