DUI Checkpoint Planned In Berkeley

BERKELEY, CA — If you are planning to meet friends or family for pre-holiday celebrations on Thursday in Berekley, make plans in advance for a sober driver. The Berkeley Police Department Traffic Bureau will conduct a DUI/Driver's License Checkpoint between the hours of 8 p.m. and 3 a.m.

Over the course of the past three years, Berkeley PD has investigated 219 DUI collisions which have resulted in 91 injuries. Statewide, alcohol involved collisions led to 1,155 deaths and nearly 24,000 serious injuries in 2014 because someone failed to designate a sober driver. Over the course of the past three years, Berkeley PD has investigated 219 DUI collisions which have resulted in 91 injuries.

BPD points out that California has seen an increase in drug-impaired driving crashes in recent years. That's prompted a new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety called "DUI Doesn't Just Mean Booze." Studies of California drivers have shown that 30 percent 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 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent). Of the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent, at 7.4 percent, slightly more than alcohol.

Earlier this month, a deadly crash in Fremont was blamed on prescription drugs. Robert Greer, 57, of Fremont, was arrested on charges of DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter.

If you take prescription drugs, especially those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.

Drivers are encouraged to download the Designated Driver VIP, or "DDVIP," free mobile app for Android or iPhone. The DDVIP app helps find nearby bars and restaurants that feature free incentives for the designated sober driver, from free non-alcoholic drinks to free appetizers and more. The feature-packed app even has social media tie-ins, and a tab for the non-DD to call Uber, Lyft or Curb.

Funding for this checkpoint is provided to the Berkeley Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Call 911 if you witness a drunk driver.

-Image via Milpitas Police Department