Two drunken-driving accidents in San Luis Obispo caused damage to a total of five cars over the weekend, police said.
The first accident reportedly occurred Saturday at 11 p.m. in the Mustang Village parking lot.
According to the police report, the driver, David Lohman, 20, hit two parked cars while attempting to move his truck closer to his apartment in Mustang Village. His Chevy Silverado reportedly caused considerable damage to the other vehicles, a Dodge Ram truck and a Ford Escort.
Police officers arrested Lohman at Mustang Village for driving under the influence, was booked at county jail and was later released, authorities said.
The Mustang Village staff declined to comment on the accident.
The second accident occurred at 3:40 a.m. near the intersection of Osos and Walnut streets. The San Luis Obispo Police Department said the driver, Gabriel Tegenkamp, 20, exited Highway 101 and drove south on Osos Street until his Toyota Camry hit a parked Saturn.
Police arrested Tegenkamp for driving under the influence and said he was not injured. Police booked Tegenkamp in county jail and he was later released, they said.
Statewide, drunken and drug-induced driving accidents increased in 2004 for the sixth-straight year, however, Cal Poly has seen slight change in drunk driving statistics.
The California Highway Patrol published statistics for 2004 citing a statewide increase in drunken driving deaths. But nationally, the numbers of alcohol-related fatalities and injuries reduced in 2004 from the previous year.
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration reported a 9.8 percent reduction over the previous year in alcohol-related accidents causing injuries nationwide in 2004.
The city of San Luis Obispo reported a reduced number of injury accidents in 2004 compared with 2003 data, in step with a statewide reduction of drunk and drug-induced driving statewide.
Non-injury accidents are increasing annually according to a 2004 report from the SLOPD. According to department standards, these accidents do not indicate an increase in drunken and drug-induced driving.
“One of three things happen when you drink and drive,” SLOPD Capt. Dan Blanke said. “You’re either killed, get sent to the hospital or you go to jail.”
San Luis Obispo County was not immune to drunken driving arrests and deaths in 2004. Approximately 1 percent of traffic fatalities statewide occurred within the county during 2004.
According to CHP spokesperson Joe Vega, the greatest percentage of CHP drunken-driving checkpoints in San Luis Obispo County are on Highway 1 in Pismo Beach and Oceano. The majority of arrested motorists are weekend vacationers Vega said.
Cal Poly has not seen a drunken or drug-induced driving accident since before 2002, according to Cindy Campbell, programs manager for the University Police Department.