Police from Chula Vista announced on Tuesday that they are planning to staff a DUI checkpoint over New Year's weekend to apprehend drivers who overindulge themselves and then decided to hit the road. Operation will start from 6pm Saturday until 2am Sunday.
The police did not specifically say the locations of Chula Vista's checkpoint. It has been reported that all available personnel will be on duty regardless of the New Year's Eve celebration. One of the officers said, 'while you are ringing in the New Year, our officers will be out ensuring 2016 starts safely.' And while it is true that the focus of the officer will be on drunk drivers, the law enforcers will also watch for strange behaviors of drivers, infractions such as not wearing seat belts, and over speeding.
Setting up checkpoints on strategical locations have proven to be effective in cutting down DUI crashes that result in injury, and even death.
According to Chula Vista Police Department, over the past three years, the department have already investigated 454 DUI collisions. 215 of these people were injured during collision, meanwhile 9 were unfortunate and killed in the accident.
More than 10,000 people were killed nationwide in vehicular collisions or crashes involving drunk drivers or drivers who are under the influence of drugs.
Reports from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that teen drivers are at greater risk of killing themselves in alcohol-related crashes than any other age group even though they are too young to possess or buy alcohol legally. 19% of the teen drivers involved in fatal crashes nationally had been drinking - according to 2013 stat.
CVPD encouraged drivers to download Designated Driver VIP a mobile app from the Office of Traffic Safety, which list restaurants or bars that offer a reward to thank designated drivers for planning ahead. App users may also order up a ride from Lyft, Curb, or Uber.
According to police, drivers who will be caught driving and drinking will face jail time, loss of their license, and other DUI-related fines which add up to $10,000 on average.
