New Year's Eve DUI Checkpoint Announced For Lake Elsinore

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Riverside County sheriff's officials will staff a DUI/driver's license checkpoint next week in the Lake Elsinore area, it was announced this week. The operation is slated for New Year's Eve.

Sheriff's officials say they'll start the operation — which will be at an undisclosed location within city limits — at 8 p.m. on Dec. 31. It will last approximately 6 and a half hours.

"The deterrent effect of High Visibility Enforcement using both DUI checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols has proven to lower the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug impaired crashes," the sheriff's department said in a news release. "Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized proactive DUI operations are conducted routinely."

Motorists are urged to designate a sober driver or utilize a ride-share service if they plan on ringing in the new year with alcohol.

Funding for the DUI checkpoint is provided by state and federal grants.

— Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone