DUI Checkpoints In Malibu Friday

MALIBU, CA – A DUI and Drivers License Checkpoint will be conducted on Friday at an undisclosed location within the city limits between the hours of 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Traffic Services Detail.

In recent years, California has seen a disturbing increase in drug-impaired driving crashes, according to LASD. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department supports the new effort from the 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. Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI, LASD said.

Using DUI checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols has proven to lower the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug impaired crashes. The checkpoints are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests, and locations are chosen with safety considerations for the officers and the public.

Alcohol involved collisions led to 1,155 deaths and nearly 24,000 serious injuries in California in 2014. Over the past three years, LASD deputies have investigated 1,486 DUI collisions which have resulted in 58 deaths and 2,153 injuries.

Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, with officers checking drivers for proper licensing. Specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, when possible, which now accounts for a growing number of impaired driving crashes.

LASD is encouraging drivers to download the Designated Driver VIP (DDVIP) free mobile app to help find nearby bars and restaurants that feature free incentives for the designated sober driver. The app has social media tie-ins and a tab for the non-DD to call Uber, Lyft, or Curb.

Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspensions and other expenses that can exceed $10,000. Funding for this checkpoint is provided to the LASD by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Here are some tips offered by the LASD:

• Arrange rides home for your friends, family, co-workers and yourself before the drinking begins
• Identify and provide free non-alcoholic drinks or other promotional items to the Designated Driver
• Party hosts and servers must limit drinks to your guests or patrons. Don’t serve more than one or two over several hours.
• Cut back on the amount of drinks you plan to bring to the party – and provide plenty of food.

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