ATTENTION: DUI Checkpoint in Laguna Niguel Friday

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting a DUI/Driver’s License checkpoint on Friday, Nov. 30 in the city of Laguna Niguel at an undisclosed location within the city limits.

The hours of the checkpoint will be 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. During this DUI enforcement operation, deputies will also verify that drivers have a valid driver’s license.

When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving. From 2008 through 2010, DUI collisions claimed 186 lives and resulted in 5,966 injuries of our friends and neighbors in Orange County, says OCSD.

In California, this deadly crime led to 1,072 deaths in 2010 because someone failed to designate a sober driver. Alcohol and drug-impaired deaths still made up the largest category of overall vehicle fatalities in 2010 with 29 percent of all deaths caused by a drunk driver, according to OCSD.

A DUI checkpoint is a proven effective method to lower these numbers.The OCSD reminds everyone that they can assist in preventing drunk driving from ever occurring. If you are planning a gathering or celebration with alcohol included, or if you are out on the town, plan ahead and designate a non-drinking sober driver.

A DUI and drug-impaired arrest can cost up to $10,000 or more, including time in jail, the loss of your driver’s license and higher insurance rates.These enforcement efforts are funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Remember, everyone is encouraged to help keep our roadways safe.

Additionally, OCSD has recently been awarded a new traffic safety grant for an anti-DUI program aimed at preventing deaths and injuries on our roadways. Additional enforcement measures to combat impaired driving are coming as a result of a recent $39,150 grant awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety to the department. The Sheriff’s Department is dedicated to keeping the streets safe through enforcement and education.

The special DUI Checkpoint grant will assist in efforts to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol and other drug related collisions in the community. The grant activities will specifically target impaired driving offenders as well as educating the public on the dangers of impaired driving through the use of DUI/driver’s license checkpoints, says OCSD.

When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving. Drunk and drugged driving is among America’s deadliest crimes, says OCSD. In 2010, 51 people were killed and 1,918 injured in alcohol and/or drug involved crashes in Orange County.

California had 1,072 people killed and over 24,000 injured during the same time frame. Crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough. Checkpoints have proven to be the most effective of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent.

“DUI checkpoints have been an essential part of the phenomenal reduction in DUI deaths that we witnessed from 2006 to 2010 in California,” said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the Office of Traffic Safety. “But since the tragedy of DUI accounts for nearly one third of traffic fatalities, Orange County needs the high visibility enforcement and public awareness that this grant will provide.”Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.