Five citations issued during DUI checkpoint

LANCASTER — A Driving Under the Influence (DUI) checkpoint, Friday, in Lancaster, yielded five citations for driving without a license, according to Lancaster Sheriff’s Station deputies.

The checkpoint was held from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., at Sierra Highway near Lancaster Boulevard.

Of the 435 vehicles stopped during the checkpoint, five drivers were cited for driving without a license or with a suspended or revoked license.

Locations for DUI checkpoints are selected based on data showing a history of incidents or crashes involving impaired driving, according to sheriff’s officials. This supports the checkpoints’ primary purpose to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off the road.

“Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk,” Sgt. Robert Hill said in a news release announcing the checkpoint, but not the location. “Any preventive measures that

reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improves traffic safety.”

Drivers are reminded that impaired driving is not just from consuming alcohol, but may also be caused by some prescription and over-the-counter medications. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is not.

Drivers charged for the first time with a DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license.

In a July checkpoint in Lancaster, 18 arrests were made. Of the 984 vehicles stopped, 15 drivers were cited for driving without a license or a suspended license, two were arrested for driving a vehicle without an ignition interlock device and one was arrested for refusing to show deputies their driver’s license. The remaining arrests were for other license violations.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.