COSTA MESA : Countywide : Drop in DUI Arrests Linked to Checkpoints

Arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol are down in the city compared with this time last year, and police believe it is due to the six sobriety checkpoints that were conducted this year.

“When you get 3,000 to 5,000 cars driving through a checkpoint, it focuses attention on drinking and driving,” Costa Mesa Police Lt. Jim Watson said. “When that many people have to go through a checkpoint and be scrutinized, it piques their awareness.”

The most recent checkpoint, on Newport Avenue in front of Triangle Square on Dec. 10, netted eight DUI arrests, compared with 18 arrests last year, Watson said. Thirty-nine drivers have been arrested in the city since Dec. 1, compared with 44 last year. In the month of November, 78 people were arrested last year on DUI charges compared to 55 this year.