Lake Elsinore DUI Checkpoint Scheduled Tonight

The Lake Elsinore Police Department will be conducting a DUI/driver's license checkpoint Saturday night at an undisclosed location within the city, it was announced.

The checkpoint will operated from 7 p.m. tonight through 2 a.m. Sunday and is one of dozens being conducted across the county through the long holiday weekend.

Funding for this 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, according to Sgt. Peter Giannakakos of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

“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,” the sergeant said in a released statement.

During tonight’s Lake Elsinore checkpoint, deputies will be contacting drivers passing through, looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment; deputies will also check for proper licensing, Giannakakos added.

According to the sergeant, delays to motorists will only be momentary.

For those caught driving impaired, Giannakakos said they can expect jail, license suspension, and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes, and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

“So far in 2012 the Lake Elsinore Police Department has investigated 30 DUI collisions in which 37 persons were injured and two were killed. Additionally in 2012, the Lake Elsinore Police Department has made 206 DUI arrests,” he said.