Officers from the Hollister Police Department will be conducting a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint on Sept. 1 at an undisclosed location within the city limits between the hours of 7p.m. and 2:30 a.m.
The Hollister Police Department is continuing its ongoing campaign to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes. DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders, get them off the street and bring awareness to our community of the dangers of impaired driving.
In 2010, more than 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 percent or higher. In California, this deadly crime led to 791 deaths because someone failed to designate a sober driver. Drivers between the ages of 21 to 24 had the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.
The objective of the checkpoint is to send a clear message to those who are considering driving a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol and/or drugs that they will go to jail if they are found driving buzzed, drunk or impaired by drugs. 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.
Those arrested for DUI will face jail time, loss of their driver licenses, possibly being sentenced to use ignition interlocks in their vehicles and their insurance rates will increase. Other financial hits include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work and the potential loss of job or job prospects.
Officers suggest that those attending a gathering or celebration that involves the consumption of alcohol, they plan ahead and designate a non-drinking sober driver.
Funding for the checkpoint is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Everyone is encouraged to help keep the roadways safe. Report Drunk Drivers – Call 911.
