Local police officials, along with the California Highway Patrol, plan to ramp up efforts to get drunk drivers off the road this Cinco de Mayo weekend.

Various Cinco de Mayo events are planned across Southern California, including one all day on Olvera Street in downtown L.A.

The so-called "saturation patrols" will begin tonight at 6 p.m. and last through weekend as many people throughout region no doubt celebrate the holiday with a good measure of tequila. Authorities say that's fine, just be sure to designate a sober driver before hitting the road.

Police across the county will be participating in the "Avoid the 100 DUI Task Force" campaign, which is funded allocated by the California Office of Traffic Safety.

“In this day and age, there is no excuse for driving drunk,” the office's director, Christopher J. Murphy, said in a statement.

The CHP, meanwhile, plans to increase patrols on freeways and in unincorporated parts of the county, according to an announcement.

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-- Jason Wells, Times Community News

Twitter: @JasonBretWells