DUI Checkpoints Scheduled for Today through Monday

The Seal Beach Police will hold DUI Checkpoints in the city throughout the Labor Day weekend.

The checkpoints, to be held at undisclosed locations, will begin at 6 p.m. today and Monday. The checkpoints are part of an going effort to curb impaired driving in the community. Last week, Seal Beach Police held two checkpoints on Seal Beach Boulevard, netting:

• 7 DUI Arrests,
• 2Warrant Arrest
• 10 Vehicle Storages
• 17 Citations

The department also held a checkpoint the week before on Pacific Coast Highway. During that checkpoint a drunken driver literally plowed into the checkpoint cones and a heavily intoxicated pedestrian fell off the sidewalk into the checkpoint.

In 2009 alone, 10,839 people died in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal limit, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to the Seal Beach Police Department, the age group with the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes was the 21-to-24 age group.

“All too often, innocent, law-abiding people suffer tragic consequences and the loss of loved ones due to this careless disregard for human life. Because we’re committed to ending the carnage, we’re intensifying enforcement during the crackdown. Since twice as many alcohol-impaired accidents occur over the weekend and four times as many occur at night, we will be especially vigilant during these high-risk times when impaired drivers are most likely to be on our roads,” said Seal Beach Police Chief Robert Luman in a written statement.

The Orange County Avoid the 26 Task Force will also deploy DUI driver’s license checkpoints, Multi Agency DUI Task Force operations and local roving DUI patrols during this 18 day Summer/Labor Day Campaign.

“Our message is simple and unwavering: if we find you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions,” said Chief Luman, “Even if you beat the odds and manage to walk away from an impaired-driving crash alive, the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for driving while impaired can still destroy your life.”

According to the Seal Beach Police Department, violators will face jail time, loss of their driver licenses, or be sentenced to use ignition interlocks, causing their insurance rates to go up and incurring include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job or job prospects.

Also, this weekend, The Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Orange County Crashed Car Trailer Exhibit will be on display at Main Street and Ocean Avenue as an example of destruction caused by impaired drivers.

The OC MADD Crashed Car Exhibit features a vehicle that was driven by a 25 year old man, who crashed into a light pole while driving under the influence of alcohol. He was killed instantly.