Laguna Niguel DUI Patrols Screen 700 Vehicles

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — A DUI and Driver’s License Checkpoint held last Friday night in Laguna Niguel turned out two arrests for drunken driving and another nine for driver’s license violations, according to officials.

More than 950 cars passed through the checkpoint on Crown Valley Parkway, west of Greenfield Drive, where deputies screened more than 700 vehicles, Orange County Sheriff's Department reported.

"Five field sobriety tests were administered, resulting in two DUI arrests," they said. "Seven unlicensed drivers were arrested, along with two drivers with suspended licenses. In addition, three vehicles were towed."

A grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety allows the Sheriff’s Department to host various checkpoints throughout the year.

While pulling impaired and unlicensed drivers off the road to keep the community safe remains one goal of these checkpoints, they also serve to educate the public on the dangers of drunken or drugged driving.

High-visibility enforcement using both checkpoints and saturation patrols have proven to lower the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug-related crashes. Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized, proactive DUI checkpoints are routinely conducted.

Orange County Sheriff's Department Photos