COPS ARREST 15 SUSPECTED DRUNK DRIVERS.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Fifteen suspected drunk drivers were arrested over the holiday weekend in the Santa Clarita Valley, and officers promised a repeat crackdown as the three-day New Year's weekend approaches.

Local Highway Patrol officers made 12 of those arrests during their maximum enforcement period from 6 p.m. Friday to midnight Monday, Officer Wendy Hahn said Tuesday. Countywide, the CHP arrested 267 people for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, with 1,209 such arrests statewide.

Within Santa Clarita city limits, there were three DUI arrests, one each day from Friday through Sunday, sheriff's Lt. Brenda Cambra said.

On top of the potential tragedy, Hahn noted the high cost of defending DUI citations as a powerful deterrent to drinking and driving.

The Automobile Club of Southern California estimates that a first-time DUI conviction can cost about $11,000 in fines, penalties, restitution, legal fees and insurance costs.

There were no fatal accidents in the Santa Clarita Valley over the weekend, though six people died in traffic crashes in the county and 39 statewide, the CHP reported.

A Saugus man suffered a brain injury at 4:15 p.m. Christmas Day when he attempted a ``wheelie'' aboard his motorcycle and slammed into a car parked on Deer Spring Drive, Hahn said. The CHP officer who investigated the incident suspected the 35-year-old rider, Christian Tasevski, had been drinking, Hahn said.

Last year, the CHP arrested seven suspected drunk drivers, Hahn, down from 17 in 2003.

The CHP's Newhall office is in the midst of its 18-day Operation Star, where additional officers are on the road to crack down on traffic offenses. Three days of patrol by air started Tuesday.

Judy O'Rourke, [phone]

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com