EL CAJON–Police officers will be out in force cracking down on impaired drivers with DUI/drivers license checkpoints.
A checkpoint is scheduled tonight in El Cajon between the hours of 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. to help keep roads safe for holiday travelers.
Officers will be giving fair warning to all partygoers. In addition to the checkpoints, officers will be making lots of stops during this highly visible enforcement period, said Lt. Randy Soulard.
Unfortunately, the excitement and celebrations of the holiday season can lead to terrible decisions and serious legal consequences. Data shows that the holiday season is a particularly deadly time due to the increased number of drunk drivers on the roads, and the El Cajon Police Department is prepared to stop and arrest any drunk driver they see to keep roads safe.
Nationally in the five years from 2007 to 2011 there were 4,169 people killed during the month of December in crashes that involved drivers with Blood Alcohol Concentrations (BAC) of .08% or higher. In California during those same five Decembers, 505 were killed and thousands seriously injured.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 32,367 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes across the nation in 2011, and 31 percent (9,878) of those fatalities occurred in drunk-driving-related crashes. Californians witnessed at total of 2,835 deaths with 774 killed in DUI crashes on their streets and highways.
Drunk drivers often face jail time, the loss of their driver licenses, higher insurance rates, and dozens of other unanticipated expenses ranging from attorney fees, court costs, car towing, and repairs, to lost wages due to time off from work. Even worse, a drunk driver can cause a traffic crash that claims someones life, or their own.
Funding for this Checkpoint provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that reminds everyone: Report Drunk Drivers! Call 9-1-1.