Deputies Announce DUI Checkpoints Friday [1]

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies will be cracking down on drunken driving and vehicle violations with checkpoints Friday night, according to sheriff’s officials.

From 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., deputies will be conducting random checks at  an undisclosed location.

Officers will be contacting drivers passing through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment. DUI Checkpoints, along with regularly scheduled high visibility DUI enforcement serve as a proven deterrent with the goal of removing impaired drivers and heightened awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

The crime of impaired driving is a serious one. In 2010 alone, 791 died in California DUI crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal limit, according to a Sheriff’s Station news release

The age group with the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes was the 21-to-24 age group.  The checkpoint is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.