DUI Checkpoint Scheduled In Lake Elsinore Tonight

The Lake Elsinore Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI/Driver's License checkpoint Friday night at an undisclosed location within the city limits.

In addition to checking for impaired motorists, the department will be checking to ensure that all drivers who pass through have a valid driver's license.

“The department is continuing its ongoing campaign to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol-involved crashes. DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as bring awareness to our community of the dangers of impaired driving,” said Sgt. Marc Cloutier in a department news release.

“Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed five lives and resulted in 54 injury crashes harming 78 of our friends and neighbors,” the sergeant said.

“If you are planning a gathering or celebration with alcohol included, or if you are out on the town, plan ahead and designate a non-drinking sober driver. A DUI arrest costs upwards of $10,000, time in jail and the loss of your drivers license, including years of increased insurance rates,” Sgt. Cloutier said.

Alcohol-impaired deaths still make up the largest category of overall vehicle fatalities, with 31 percent of all deaths caused by a drunk driver, the sergeant said.

“A DUI checkpoint is a proven-effective method to lower these numbers,” he said.

Funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.