Sign: DUI doesn't just mean booze

San Diego Police announced a Thursday night DUI and drivers license checkpoint and warned drivers that officers will also be looking for drug impairment.

The department is supporting a new effort by the California 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,” said Officer Mark McCullough. “Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs.”

Thursday night’s checkpoint will be in a location chosen because of previous arrests and accidents. Officers will be stopping and checking motorists between 11 p.m. Thursday and 3 a.m. Friday.

Over the past three years, the San Diego Police have investigated 2,381 DUI collisions which have claimed 19 lives and resulted in another 2,257 injuries.

Chris Jennewein is founder and senior editor of Times of San Diego.