San Mateo Police to Hold DUI Checkpoint Friday

The San Mateo Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint Friday night on Fourth Avenue in an effort to curb drunken driving.

The checkpoint will take place from 6 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday on Fourth Avenue. Officers will check drivers through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol or drug impairments, and will try to only impact motorists for a few moments at a time.

If an officer suspects a driver has been drinking or is impaired, the officer will conduct a field sobriety test.

Should the driver fail the test, the driver will face numerous consequences including jail time, vehicle storage fees, license suspension, insurance rate increases, fines, fees, DUI classes and other expenses that can exceed $10,000, police said.

“Over the course of the past three years in this area, DUI collisions have claimed 2 lives and resulted in 24 injury crashes harming 30 of our friends and neighbors,” San Mateo Police Traffic Sgt. Greg Jacobson said in a statement.

According to police, overall traffic deaths statewide declined by 23 percent, from 3,995 in 2007 to 3,081 in 2009. In addition, total traffic fatalities are at their lowest levels in six decades, when the federal government began compiling figures.

DUI deaths declined by 16 percent, from 1,132 in 2007 to 950 in 2009, according to federal statistics. But alcohol impaired deaths still make up the largest category of overall vehicle fatalities in 2009, with 31 percent of all deaths caused by a drunk or impaired driver.

“Everyone in California should be heartened with these figures,” Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety, said in a statement.

“But as encouraging as this is, we can’t let up on the efforts to encourage and support traffic safety. You can help make your community safe; if you see a Drunk Driver – Call 9-1-1,” he said.

Money for DUI checkpoints are provided to San Mateo Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.