Crime & Safety

DUI Checkpoint This Weekend

A DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint on Artesia Blvd. at Prospect Ave. will be in place on Saturday, May 25th from 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Sunday, May 26th.

The Hermosa Beach Police Department Traffic Division will have a checkpoint in place for eastbound traffic with the assistance of officers from South Bay area police agencies, said Sgt. Robert Higgins.

DUI checkpoints are a proven way to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug involved crashes, he said, adding that research shows crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough. 

Officers will check drivers for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, as well for proper licensing.

"Drivers caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension, and insurance  increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes, other expenses that can exceed $10,000," said Higgins.

In 2011, close to 10,000 people were killed nationally in motor vehicle traffic crashes that involved at least one driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or higher. In California, impaired driving led to 774 deaths, he said.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, checkpoints produce a cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent.

“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, the City of Hermosa 
Beach needs the high visibility enforcement and public awareness that checkpoints provide.” 

Funding for this checkpoint comes from a grant from the California 
Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

If you see a drunk driver, call 9-1-1, said Higgins.


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