Police conducting DUI checkpoints Sunday
The Laguna Beach Police Department will be conducting DUI checkpoints from 9 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday in areas with high numbers of DUI collisions or arrests.
The DUI saturation patrols are part of the department’s ongoing traffic safety campaign, according to a news release.
In California, DUIs accounted for 774 deaths in 2010, according to a news release. Such deaths had fallen dramatically for five straight years; however, 2011 numbers indicate that DUI deaths remained the same as 2010, the press release said.
“Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have resulted in 60 injury crashes harming 85 of our friends and neighbors,” Lt. Jeff Calvert said in a statement.
DUIs have a negative impact on the economy: A fatality costs about $1.4 million, an injury $70,000 and a crash that damages property averages nearly $9,000, according to the release.
Funding for the program comes from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.
“California’s roadways are very much safer than they were before 2006,” OTS Director Christopher J. Murphy said in a statement. “The Laguna Beach Police Department will be keeping the pressure on through enforcement and public awareness so that we can continue saving lives and reach the vision we all share — toward zero deaths, every one counts.”
For more information, contact Calvert at (949) 464-6655 or jcalvert@lagunabeachcity.net.
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