Crime & Safety

Martinez Police: DUI Checkpoints On Friday, May 17

If you’re planning to drive under the influence of anything but your common sense tonight (Friday, May 17), be prepared to go to jail. The Martinez Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint at an undisclosed location within the city limits between the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Checkpoints are one weapon in the fight against intoxicated driving, police say. They can reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents by 20 percent.

Those passing through checkpoints will be stopped and officers will look for signs of impairment. Licenses will also be checked. If someone is suspected of being on drugs or alcohol behind the wheel, they will be shown to a special area where another officer will continue the examination. If the driver is found to be intoxicated, the standard penality is jail time, a large fine, suspension of the driver’s license, and a very large increase in auto insurance, in addition to classes and other fines that can run up to $10,000.

The penalty is severe because the consequences of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol are deadly. 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% or higher. In California, this deadly crime led to 791 deaths because someone failed to designate a sober driver.
 
“Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed one life and resulted in 27 injury crashes harming our friends and neighbors in Martinez,” said Martinez Police Chief Gary Peterson.

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.

Based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests, DUI Checkpoints are placed in locations that have the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence. Locations are chosen with safety considerations for the officers and the public.

“DUI Checkpoints have been an essential part of the phenomenal reduction in DUI deaths that we witnessed since 2006 in California,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety. “But since the tragedy of DUI accounts for nearly one third of traffic fatalities, Martinez needs the high visibility enforcement and public awareness that checkpoints provide.”

Funding for this checkpoint is provided to the Martinez Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminding everyone to continue to work together to bring an end to these tragedies.


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