DUI Checkpoint Scheduled In Lake Elsinore

Deputies from the Lake Elsinore Police Department will be conducting a DUI/driver’s license checkpoint within city limits Saturday, but the location has not been disclosed.

“Officers will be contacting drivers passing through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment. Officers will also check for proper licensing and will strive to delay motorists only momentarily,” said Sgt. Peter Giannakakos of the Lake Elsinore Police Department.

Drivers caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension, and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes, and other expenses that can total more than $10,000, Giannakakos explained.

“DUI checkpoints are a proven enforcement tool effective in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol-involved crashes. Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough,” Giannakakos said.

Over the past three years, the Lake Elsinore Police Department investigated 58 DUI collisions in which 71 persons were injured and six were killed, Giannakakos added.

Christopher J. Murphy, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety, said deaths caused by drunk and/or drug-impaired drivers are going down in California.

“But that still means that hundreds of our friends, family and co-workers are killed each year, along with tens of thousands who are seriously injured,” Murphy stressed. “We must all continue to work together to bring an end to these tragedies. If you see a drunk driver, call 9-1-1."

Funding for Saturday’s checkpoint is provided to the Lake Elsinore Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Giannakakos said.