HomeMy WebLinkAbout13_04_19 Sobriety Checkpoint News Release
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release 4/17/13
Contact: Sergeant Lance O’Nesky
(661)326-3896
lonesky@bakersfieldpd.us
DUI/Drivers License checkpoint Planned this Weekend
The Bakersfield Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint on 4/19/13,
in the greater Bakersfield area.
The deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is a proven resource in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in
alcohol or drug involved crashes. Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent
when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough.
Officers will be contacting drivers passing through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment.
Officers will also check drivers for proper licensing and will strive to delay motorists only momentarily. When
possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving. Drivers
caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension, and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI
classes, other expenses that can exceed $10,000.
In 2010, over 10,000 people were killed nationally in motor vehicle traffic crashes that involved at least one driver
or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08% or higher. In California, this deadly crime led
to 791 deaths because someone failed to designate a sober driver. “Over the course of the past three years, DUI
collisions have claimed 25 lives and resulted in 308 injury crashes harming 373 of our friends and neighbors,” said
Sgt. O’Nesky.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), checkpoints have provided the most
effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding considerable cost savings
of $6 for every $1 spent. Based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests, DUI Checkpoints are placed in
locations that have the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence. Locations are
chosen with safety considerations for the officers and the public.
“DUI Checkpoints have been an essential part of the phenomenal reduction in DUI deaths that we witnessed since
2006 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, Bakersfield needs the high visibility enforcement and public
awareness that checkpoints provide.”
Funding for this checkpoint is provided to The Bakersfield Police Department by a grant from the California Office
of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminding everyone to continue to
work together to bring an end to these tragedies. If you see a Drunk Driver - Call 9-1-1.