Pasadena Police Plan Friday DUI Checkpoint

The Pasadena Police Department‘s Traffic Section will proactively address the hazards of DUI drivers by conducting a DUI Checkpoint on Friday, March 1. The checkpoint will occur at an undisclosed location within the city limits between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.

Officers will be contacting drivers passing through the checkpoint and assessing them for signs of alcohol impairment. As needed, specially trained officers will also be on site to evaluate persons suspected of drug-impaired driving. Drivers caught operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or narcotics can expect to be arrested and booked in jail, have their driver’s license suspended, and have their insurance rates increased. Additionally, arrests can results fines, fees, DUI classes, and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

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 3 lives and resulted in 58 injury crashes harming 82 of our friends and neighbors,” said Pasadena Police Chief Phil Sanchez.

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. “Since the tragedy of DUI accounts for nearly one third of traffic fatalities, Pasadena needs the high visibility enforcement and public awareness that checkpoints provide.”

Funding for this checkpoint is provided to the Pasadena 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 DUI related tragedies. If you see a Drunk Driver – Call 9-1-1.