The Hollister Police Department will hold a DUI/Driver License
checkpoint Saturday to help curtail drunk driving over the Memorial
Day Weekend, according to an announcement from the HPD.
The Hollister Police Department will hold a DUI/Driver License checkpoint Saturday to help curtail drunk driving over the Memorial Day Weekend, according to an announcement from the HPD.
The checkpoint will be held between 7 p.m. and 12 a.m. within the city limits, according to a police report.
Depending weather and traffic volume, all vehicles may be checked. Those driving impaired from alcohol or drugs will be arrested, according to the report.
“DUI checkpoints are a proven enforcement tool effective in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol-involved crashes, as well as being a valuable means of heightening awareness of the dangers of impaired driving,” according to the release.
The major reason for the checkpoints is to “increase awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to encourage the use sober designated drivers,” according to the release.
Overall, traffic fatalities are at the lowest levels in six decades, according to the report. Statewide, traffic deaths have declined 23 percent from 2,994 in 2007 to 3,081 in 2009. During that same time, deaths stemming from DUIs have decreased 16 percent from 1,132 in 2007 to 950 in 2009.
But drunken driving causes 31 percent of all traffic-related deaths, according to the HPD.
The checkpoint is funded by a grant received from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The police department encourages the public to call 911 when they spot suspected impaired driving.
