The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Deputies will be targeting impaired drivers with a DUI checkpoint on Friday June 7th in Santa Clarita.
The location in our valley has not yet been disclosed, but the Sheriff’s office will be conducting a safety checkpoint somewhere in SCV between the hours of 6:00 pm and 2:00 am.
Checkpoints are typically conducted in locations that provide the greatest possibility of catching impaired drivers, so odds are the checkpoint on June 7th will be on a major street or intersection.
Sheriff’s Deputies will be screening drivers as they pass through the checkpoint for signs of intoxication or drugs. Checkpoints like this have been used many times in the past by both the SCV Sheriff’s Department and other law enforcement agencies and are proven to deter would-be drivers from consuming alcohol and getting behind the wheel of a car.
The age group with the highest percentage of alcohol-related deaths is those who are 21-24. In 2010, there were 791 deaths related to automobile and motorcycle drivers who were at or above the legal blood alcohol limit of .08. Over the past three years, there have been 730 people killed in car wrecks investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
DUI checkpoints are not only a useful deterrent, they’re cost-effective as well. For every $1 spent in conducting a checkpoint, taxpayers save $6 in other expenses.
If caught driving under the influence, the penalties include loss of driving privileges, fines and/or jail time.