Hollister Police Department will conduct a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint on June 13, at an undisclosed location within the city limits. The checkpoint will take place from 6pm-1:30am.
In recent years, California has seen a “disturbing increase” in drug-impaired driving crashes, Hollister Police Department said in a press release. The local department supports the new effort from the California Office of Traffic Safety that aims to educate all drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.”
“If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI,” says the press release. “Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.”
Police said the deterrent effect of high visibility enforcement using both DUI checkpoints and DUI saturation patrols has proven to lower the number of deaths and injuries in alcohol or drug impaired crashes. Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20% when well-publicized proactive DUI operations are conducted routinely.
Officers at the checkpoint will look for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, with officers checking drivers for proper licensing, police said. The checkpoint is expected to delay motorists only momentarily.
If possible, specially trained officers will be available at the checkpoint to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, which now accounts for a growing number of impaired driving crashes, police said.
Studies of California drivers have shown that 30% of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems. A study of active drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may impair driving (14%) than did for alcohol (7.3%). Of the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent, at 7.4%, slightly more than alcohol.
Hollister Police offered the following reminders to ensure motorists have a safe night that doesn’t involve a DUI:
• Decide before you go out whether you plan to drink or drive.
• If you plan to drink, designate a sober driver before going out or map out another safe way to get home by taxi, ride-share or public transportation. You can also look up designated driver services in your area using the National Directory of Designated Driver Services (NDDDS).
• If you see your friend or other patron impaired trying to get behind the wheel, take the keys and help them make other arrangements to safely arrive where they are going.
• Report drunk drivers by calling 911.
Funding for the checkpoint is provided to the Hollister Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Checkpoint at Santa Anita pass the Arco station going into town in Hollister at 6 PM. Start it.