LA MIRADA – Amidst growing numbers of drug-fueled crashes, run-down pedestrians and officers, and vehicles crashing through walls of businesses and residences, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Traffic Services Detail conducted an eight-hour Friday-night screening operation on eastbound Imperial Highway at Valley View Ave.
LASD announced that the checkpoint funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was “placed in a location that has the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged-driving deterrence and provide the greatest safety for officers and the public.”
Of the 1,793 vehicles screened for DUI/CDL, the detail netted one DUI-alcohol arrest, 10 drivers cited/arrested for operating a vehicle unlicensed or while suspended/revoked, and one driver cited/arrested for operating a vehicle without a required ignition interlock device.
LASD backs the new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety “that aims to educate all drivers that ‘DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.’ If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.”
Reports showed 30% of CA drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their system. Active drivers tested positive for driving-impairing drugs in their system 14% of the time. Marijuana was most prevalent at 7.4%.
Drivers caught driving impaired can expect an arrest, jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and more – exceeding $10,000.
Download the Designated Driver VIP, or “DDVIP,” free mobile app for Android or iPhone. Some nearby bars and restaurants feature free incentives for the designated sober driver, from free non-alcoholic drinks to free appetizers and more. The app has social media tie-ins and a tab for the non-DD to call Uber, Lyft or Curb.
LASD’s ongoing commitment to lowering deaths and injuries upon streets and highways urges everyone to arrange rides home before drinking, provide non-alcohol promotions to designated drivers, limit party guests to two drinks over several hours, bring plenty of food, and ‘Report Drunk Driver -Call 9-1-1’.
