The holiday season is just around the corner and so is the time of year to take measures against drunk driving. Keeping that in mind, the LA Sheriff’s Department, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, has announced their Santa Clarita DUI and Driver’s License Checkpoint for November 16, 2012. The DUI and Driver’s License Checkpoint will be conducted from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. at an undisclosed location in the Santa Clarita Valley. The LASD is expected to spend extensive resources on this event in an attempt to deter potential DUIs. The Santa Clarita Valley officers will also remove unlicensed drivers from the roads.
DUI checkpoints are usually placed in locations that have the greatest opportunity of deterring drugged and drunk driving and providing safety to the officers as well as the public. During the DUI checkpoints, officers will be checking drivers passing through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol or drug impairment. It is due to this fact that DUI and Driver’s License Checkpoints are considered an infringement of constitutional rights by some.
To avoid getting caught as a drunk driving suspect or being involved in a DUI-related incident, it is wise to designate a sober driver, especially during the holiday season. The holiday season is a time of enjoyment and partying and a lot of people find themselves getting caught on the suspicion of drunk driving despite being cautious.
This is because even one or two drinks can impair a person’s ability to drive cautiously, resulting in a life altering incident. One needs to be ever more cautious during the holiday season due to the heavier holiday traffic conditions.
DUI checkpoints have proven in deterring impaired drivers as well as creating awareness of the dangers of drugged and drunk driving among drivers and general public. Apart from DUI checkpoints, regularly scheduled high visibility DUI enforcement also serves the same. Similar discussions also prove to be productive in reducing the number of drunk drivers on the road by highlighting the obvious dangers of drinking and driving to the community.
Each year, countless cases of drunk driving are reported, many of them resulting in serious injury or death of the drivers as well as their passengers. A DUI charge in Santa Clarita can have a devastating impact not only on you but on your friends and relatives also as it carries serious fines and consequences. These extraordinary consequences include a permanent criminal record, jail sentence, probation, expensive fines, court fees and appearances, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job or job prospects, suspension of your driver’s license, enrolment in DUI programs, installation of an ignition interlock device and soaring insurance premiums. The violators can also face tremendous personal embarrassment and humiliation when family, friends and co-workers find out about the charge.
If the DUI charge is in addition to other offenses, such as driving without a California Driver’s License or driving with a suspended license, or if the drunk driving charge was a serious one, involving serious bodily or property damage or a very high BAC level, there will be additional penalties as well.
A drunk driving charge in California should never be taken lightly as it is a serious offense carrying serious consequences. This is why Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station conducts regular DUI checkpoints with the objective to send a clear message to those who might be considering drinking and driving. 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 of $6 for every $1 spent.
Statistics show that 791 people died as a result of DUI crashes in California in 2010 alone. All these crashes involved drivers with BAC levels above the legal limit. Moreover, statistics show that drivers between the age of 21 and 24 years have the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes.
Help the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s in keeping the roadways safe for everyone by reporting drunk drivers. Call 911 immediately if you see suspicious drivers on the road!
