DUI Checkpoint Planned In Union City

UNION CITY, CA — Are you heading to a holiday party Friday night, or perhaps meeting friends after work? Make a plan now for a sober way to get home. The Union City Police Department announced today that it is holding a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint this Friday, Dec. 15, 2017

It will take place between the hours of 6 p.m. and 2 a.m.

UCPD points out that California has seen an increase in drug-impaired driving crashes in recent years. That's prompted a new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety called "DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze." 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.

Just last Friday, a deadly crash in Fremont was blamed on prescription drugs. Robert Greer, 57, of Fremont, was arrested on charges of DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter.

If you take prescription drugs, especially 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.

UCPD reports that 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. They say that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized DUI operations are conducted routinely.

DUI Checkpoints are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests.

In California, alcohol involved collisions led to 1,155 deaths and nearly 24,000 serious injuries in 2014. Over the course of the past three years Union City PD officers have investigated 82 DUI collisions which have resulted in 21 injuries.

Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, with officers checking drivers for proper licensing.

When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving.

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

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

To report a suspected drunk driver – call 911.

-Image via City of Milpitas