This Weekend: Newark DUI Checkpoint

NEWARK, CA — Newark Police have scheduled a DUI checkpoint for this Saturday, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. The exact location within the city limits of Newark has not been disclosed. Officers will be checking for drug impaired drivers, as well as drunk drivers.

"In recent years, California has seen a disturbing increase in drug-impaired driving crashes," NPD reports. "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."

If you’re taking medication – whether prescription or over-the-counter – drinking even small amounts of alcohol can greatly intensify the impairment affects. Studies of California drivers have shown that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems.

Over the past three years Newark PD officers have investigated 13 DUI collisions which have claimed 3 lives and resulted in another 15 injuries.

Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized DUI operations are conducted routinely. The Newark checkpoint location is based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests, but safety considerations for the officers and the public are also weighed.

Officers will also check drivers for proper licensing.

Funding for this checkpoint is provided to The Newark Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

(Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. Also, download the free Patch iPhone app or free Patch Android app. Also, be sure to follow your local Patch on Facebook!) Also See:

• Food Drive Underway To Help Coast Guard Families
• ‘Hamilton’ In San Francisco: Dates, Tickets To Hottest Show In US
• Apple Has Over 600 Job Openings In The Bay Area Right Now
• Please Don't Help My Kids

— Image via Shutterstock