Long Beach
Police Department

Media Relations
400 W. Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 570-5273
8/28/2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress Release #
Subject:
DUI CHECKPOINT PROVES EFFECTIVE
Contact:
Media Relations Detail
(562) 570-5273






graphic with writing "DUI Doesn't Just Mean Booze"
The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) Traffic Section conducted a DUI/Drivers License checkpoint on Saturday, August 25th, 2018, at 7th Street and Locust Avenue between 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. Checkpoints are placed in locations that have the greatest opportunity for achieving drug and drunk driving deterrence and improve safety for officers and the public.  

In recent years, California has seen a disturbing increase in drug-impaired driving crashes.  The LBPD supports the new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety aiming to educate all drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you may 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.

According to the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in California, alcohol involved collisions led to 1,155 deaths and nearly 24,000 injuries in 2014 because someone failed to designate a sober driver.

 Last Saturday’s eight-hour checkpoint yielded the following results:

  • 1271 Vehicles through checkpoint
  • 329 Drivers screened
  • 1 Driver arrested unrelated warrant
  • 3 Drivers cited for operating a vehicle with a suspended/revoked license
  • 1 Driver cited for being unlicensed
  • 3 Citations issued for unsafe 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 app even has a tie-in for the non-DD to call Uber, Lyft or Curb. 

Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

The checkpoint was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the NHTSA, reminding everyone to report drunk drivers by calling 911.