By Gina Yarbrough
San Diego, CA–San Diego police arrested 15 people suspected of DUI at a checkpoint Thursday in downtown San Diego, authorities said.
Officers conducted the DUI and driver’s license checkpoint between the hours of 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. at 2475 Grand Avenue.
During the checkpoint, approximately 755 vehicles were screened, 20 drivers were evaluated, one driver was cited and arrested for operating a vehicle unlicensed while suspended or revoked, and 16 vehicles were impounded. A total of 1,208 vehicles went through the checkpoint, according to the San Diego Police Department’s news release.
The DUI and driver’s license checkpoints are placed in select 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 San Diego Police Department.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 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. Ninety percent of California drivers approve of checkpoints.
Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, and other expenses that can exceed $13,500 not to mention the embarrassment when friends and family find out.
The San Diego Police Department will be conducting another DUI and driver’s license checkpoint or DUI saturation patrol on June 1.
The checkpoint was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminding everyone to “Report Drunk Drivers –Call 9-1-1”.
