DUI Checkpoint Coming To South Orange County

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — Driving through Lake Forest this weekend? Members of the Orange County Sheriff’s DUI Enforcement Team will hold a DUI and Driver’s License Checkpoint this weekend to stop and arrest alcohol and drug-impaired drivers as part of the department’s ongoing traffic safety campaign.

The checkpoint will be held from 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, to 3 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9.

High Visibility Enforcement using both DUI checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols have proven to lower the
number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug impaired crashes. 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.

In California, alcohol-involved collisions led to 1,155 deaths and nearly 24,000 injuries in 2014 because
someone failed to designate a sober driver.

Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment. When possible, specially trained officers
will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, which now accounts for a growing
number of impaired driving crashes.

In recent years, California has seen a disturbing increase in drug-impaired driving crashes. The OCSD
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.

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. Everyone should be mindful that if you’re taking medication – whether prescription or over the-counter – drinking even small amounts of alcohol can greatly intensify the impairment affects.

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 even a tab for the non-DD to call Uber, Lyft or Curb.

The cost of a ride home is cheap! 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
not to mention the embarrassment when friends and family find out.

Funding for this DUI operation is provided to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department by a grant from the
California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminding
everyone to ‘Report Drunk Driver – Call 9-1-1’.

Shutterstock Photo