San Gabriel Police Department Targets Impaired Drivers with Checkpoint

San Gabriel Police Department Traffic Unit conducted a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Friday, June 29, 2012, at an undisclosed location within the city limits between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.  Checkpoints are placed in locations that have the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence and provide the greatest safety for officers and the public.

Officers contacted drivers passing through the checkpoint and looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment.  They also checked to ensure drivers are properly licensed. DUI Checkpoints along with regularly scheduled high visibility DUI enforcement serves as a proven deterrent with the goal of removing impaired drivers and heightened awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

In 2010, over 10,000 people were killed nationally in motor vehicle traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 percent or higher. In California, this deadly crime led to 791 deaths because someone failed to designate a sober driver.  The age group with the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes was the 21-to-24 age group.

“Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed countless lives or resulted in serious vehicle crashes injuring and harming many of our friends and neighbors,” said Police Chief David A. Lawton.

The objective is to send a clear message to those who are considering driving a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol and/or drugs: if you drive buzzed, drunk, or impaired by drugs you will go to jail.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent.

Those arrested for DUI will face jail time, loss of their driver licenses, or being sentenced to use ignition interlocks. Their insurance rates go up. Other financial hits include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job or job prospects. When family, friends and co-workers find out, violators can also face tremendous personal embarrassment and humiliation.

The checkpoint was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  Please help San Gabriel PD everyday of the week:  Report Drunk Drivers – Call 911!

DUI/Drivers License checkpoint Planned

San Gabriel Police Department Traffic Unit was conducting a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint on Saturday, July 7, 2012 at an undisclosed location within the city limits between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.  DUI checkpoints are a proven enforcement tool effective in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes. Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough.

Officers contacted drivers passing through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment.  Officers also checked for proper licensing and will strive to delay motorists only momentarily. Drivers caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension, and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes, other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

“Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed countless lives or resulted in crashes which harmed and injured many of our relatives, friends and neighbors,” said Police Chief David A. Lawton.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent.  Checkpoints are placed in locations that have the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence and provide the greatest safety for officers and the public.

“Deaths from drunk and drug-impaired driving are going down in California,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).  “But that still means that hundreds of our friends, family and co-workers are killed each year, along with tens of thousands who are seriously injured. We must all continue to work together to bring an end to these tragedies.  If you see a Drunk Driver – Call 9-1-1.”

Funding for this checkpoint is provided to San Gabriel Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, targeting those who still don’t heed the message to designate a sober driver.