Two people were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and nine more were cited Friday, Feb. 25 during a DUI checkpoint in Long Beach’s South Division, police said today.
Just over 600 vehicles made their way through the checkpoint in the area of 7th Street and Locust Avenue from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. with police screening almost half of all drivers, LBPD said. The location was chosen after officers agreed it would offer the “greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence and provide the greatest safety for officers and the public,” police said.
Of the nine people ticketed, three were due to driving with a suspended or revoked license, according to LBPD. Six were cited for driving without a license and one vehicle was impounded, police said.
Drivers charged with operating a vehicle while impaired may face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license. In addition to alcohol, prescription drugs such as pills and marijuana can affect someone’s driving ability, police say.
In 2020, the number of people that died in DUI-related traffic incidents increased from nine in 2019 to 14. The numbers for 2021 have not been released yet, however, in December, prosecutors in California warned of a surge in deadly DUI across seven counties. LBPD pointed to people driving under the influence of one or more drugs, usually marijuana, for the “disturbing increase” in DUI crashes.
Funding for the checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.