DUI checkpoint today in El Centro
The El Centro Police Department (ECPD) will be conducting a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint from 9 p.m. tonight to 2:30 a.m. Sunday at 2900 S. Dogwood Road.
Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment. When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, which now accounts for a growing number of impaired driving crashes, an ECPD press release stated.
In recent years, California has seen an increase in drug-impaired driving crashes. The ECPD supports the new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety that aims to educate all drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana use can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI, the press release stated.
DUI checkpoints such as the one planned tonight are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests, providing an opportunity for the greatest deterrence, the press release stated.
Locations are chosen with safety considerations for the officers and the public.
Research has shown that DUI-related crashes can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized DUI enforcement operations are conducted periodically, the ECPD press release stated. In 2014, alcohol-related collisions resulted in 1,155 deaths and nearly 24,000 serious injuries, the press release stated.
Studies in California have shown that 30 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in them, the press release stated. A study of active drivers revealed that more had tested positive for drugs that may impair driving (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7 percent), the press release stated.
Drivers are encouraged to download the Designated Driver VIP, or “DDVIP,” free mobile app for Android or iPhone. The DDVIP app helps find nearby bars and restaurants that feature free incentives for the designated sober driver, from free non-alcoholic drinks to free appetizers and more. The app also has a tab to for users to call Uber, Lyft or Curb.
Drivers arrested for a DUI offense can expect jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses totaling more than $10,000, the press release stated.
Funding for this DUI operation is provided to El Centro Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminding everyone to ‘Report Drunk Driver – Call 9-1-1’.