DUI Checkpoint Planned for Friday Night in San Rafael

The San Rafael Police have scheduled a DUI and drivers license checkpoint for Friday, July 19 in the evening. The location has not been released. 

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 only momentarily delay motorists. Drivers caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension, and insurance increases; as well as fines, fees, DUI classes, and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

A Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is funding this weekend’s checkpoint.

A checkpoint was held during Fourth of July weekend on Red Hill Avenue in San Anselmo in addition to roving DUI patrols throughout the holiday weekend by Marin agencies as well as the California Highway Patrol.

Between Wednesday, July 3 and Sunday, July 7, the California Highway Patrol arrested 11 people on suspicion of DUI, including five Marin residents and one 17-year-old from San Rafael.

The San Rafael Police also conducted a court sting on Monday, July 8, and busted two suspected DUI drivers for driving away from Marin County Court even though they had a suspended drivers license.

In a release announcing Friday’s checkpoint, San Rafael Police Spokesperson Margo Rohrbacher said the checkpoints are “a proven enforcement tool effective in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol-involved crashes.”

What’s your take on it? Are you glad the police organize DUI checkpoints?