Several DUI checkpoints planned for Inland Empire over Labor Day weekend

Law enforcement officials will be conducting DUI checkpoints in several southwest locations this upcoming weekend, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department reported.

(Credit: Daniel Lane/SWRNN)

Officers in the cities of Coachella, Lake Elsinore, Hemet, Jurupa Valley and Temecula will be stationed at undisclosed locations in an effort to crack down on drunk drivers.

DUI checkpoints are conducted in locations that have the best opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence and provide the greatest safety for officers and the public.

Officers will be talking with drivers passing through the checkpoints looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment.

Drivers caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension, and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes, court probation and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

To read about a recent crash involving a driver under the influence, click here.

All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers.

“Over the course of this year, DUI collisions have claimed one life and resulted in injuries to several of our friends and neighbors in Temecula,” said Sgt. Magnan.

This DUI/Driver’s License checkpoint is an effort to reduce those tragedies and officers will be checking drivers for proper licensing. A major component of these checkpoints is the deterrent effect it has on those who might drive drunk or drugged impaired and bring about more awareness, encouraging everyone to use sober designated drivers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding considerable cost savings for every dollar spent.

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

At many checkpoints, representatives and volunteers from Mothers Against Drunk Driving hand out pamphlets in an attempt to educate the public about the dangers of driving under the influence.

“M.A.D.D. appreciates every opportunity to bring awareness about the dangers of drunk driving to the community,” M.A.D.D. spokesperson Brenda Frachiseur said in a previous statement.  ”We support the efforts of law enforcement  and believe the statistics speak for themselves.  Drunk driving deaths were down 16 percent last year and we believe that is due in large part to DUI checkpoints.”

Stephanie D. Schulte is a local writer and regular contributor to SWRNN.