UPDATE | Four drivers were arrested for driving under the influence as part of a checkpoint that took place over the weekend in the city’s North Pine neighborhood, according to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD).
The DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint took place Saturday night at 7th Street and Locust Avenue.
Authorities said 930 vehicles passed through the checkpoint and a total of 300 drivers were screened. The following citations and arrests were made:
- 4 drivers arrested for DUI
- 8 drivers cited for operating a vehicle with a suspended/revoked license
- 2 drivers cited for being unlicensed
- 5 citations issued for unsafe driving
PREVIOUSLY: LBPD Traffic Section to Conduct a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint This Weekend
3/2/201 at 12:44PM | By Angela Truong | The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) Traffic Section will conduct a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint in the city’s South Division this Saturday.
The checkpoint will be conducted between 6:00PM and 2:00AM. Officers will look for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, which now accounts for a growing number of impaired driving crashes, stated the release.
DUI checkpoints and DUI saturation patrols prove to lower the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug impaired crashes, according to the release. The Office of Traffic Safety is aiming to educate all drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” Drivers that take prescription drugs, especially with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, might be impaired enough to get a DUI.
Over the course of the past three years, the LBPD investigated 1,030 DUI collisions, which resulted in nine fatalities and 371 injuries.
Studies have shown that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes in California had one or more drugs in their system and active drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may impair driving (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent).
The LBPD encourages drivers to download the Designated Driver VIP (DDVIP) mobile app that provides nearby bars and restaurants offering free incentives such as non-alcoholic drinks or appetizers to sober designated drivers. The DDVIP also helps non-designated drivers call Uber, Lyft or Curb.
Funding for this checkpoint is provided to the Long Beach Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminding everyone to “Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1.”