San Diego Police plan a checkpoint on Friday night to target drivers impaired by marijuana or alcohol.
The DUI and driver’s license checkpoint will be conducted at an undisclosed location between 11 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday, according to Officer Mark McCullough.
Due to an increase in drug-impaired crashes across California, police in San Diego are supporting the new effort to educate drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze,” McCullough said.
“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,” he said. “Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.”
During the checkpoint, officers will be looking for signs of alcohol or drug impairment and may check drivers for proper licensing, delaying them momentarily, McCullough said.
“When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, which now accounts for a growing number of impaired driving crashes,” he said.
Over the past three years, San Diego police investigated nearly 2,400 DUI collisions which resulted in 19 deaths and another 2,257 injuries.
Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspensions and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.