DUI Checkpoint in South Pas Friday

The South Pasadena Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. on Friday, July 13 at an undisclosed location within city limits.  

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, according to a press release. 

Officers will be contacting drivers passing through the checkpoint and looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment. They will also be checking to ensure drivers are properly licensed.

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 Californian, the crime led to 791 deaths. 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 past three years, South Pasadena PD has investigated 319 DUIs; countywide—21,132 individuals were injured or killed in drunk driving wrecks.

According to SPPD, the objective of these checkpoints 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.

The department reminds drivers that those arrested for DUI will face jail time, loss of their driver licenses, or being sentenced to use ignition interlocks. Insurance rates will likely go up, and 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.

This checkpoint was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Please help the South Pasadena Police Department everyday of the week: Report Drunk Drivers. Call 911.

Patch Asks: Will you be on the road this weekend?