Avoid the DUI de Mayo‎

While you're Cinco de Drinking on Thursday night, police will be deployed to San Juan Capistrano's streets to arrest intoxicated drivers.

"Cinco de Mayo is a special opportunity to gather with friends and co-workers for chips, salsa and margaritas, celebrating California’s rich cultural diversity," an Orange County Sheriff's Department press release states. "It is also a night when dangerous and often deadly outcomes occur because another impaired driver hits the road drunk."

Patrols will be conducted in cities that contract with the Sheriff's Department, along with Anaheim, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, Laguna Beach, La Palma, Placentia, Santa Ana and Westminster. The Cal State Fullerton police will also deploy patrols.

Plan ahead with these tips from the Sheriff's Department:

• Arrange rides home for friends, family and co-workers before the drinking begins.
• Choose a designated driver and provide free nonalcoholic drinks to him or her.
• Party hosts and servers should not serve a person more than one or two drinks over several hours and should provide plenty of food.
• Cut back on the amount of alcohol you plan to bring to the party.

If you see someone driving dangerously, call 911.

“Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving can be significant,” said Sgt. Mark Daigle of the Sheriff’s Department Traffic Bureau. “Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time away from work, and dozens of other expenses. So don’t take the chance."