La Mesa police say they’ll conduct a DUI checkpoint this weekend from 8 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday at an undisclosed location.
The department says it’s joining other law enforcement agencies across the country in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign during this period, which runs through Sept. 2 — Labor Day.
The La Mesa Police Department will have additional officers on the road looking for drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
“Nowadays there are so many ways for a person to get home safely without driving,” said Lt. Brian Stoney. “Driving while drunk or high is extremely dangerous, irresponsible and causes way too many senseless tragedies. We hope that drivers get the message that driving impaired will never be tolerated.”
Labor Day Weekend remains one of the deadliest times of year for alcohol-involved crashes, La Mesa police say.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 376 deadly crashes were reported nationwide during the 2017 five-day Labor Day holiday period. Among those crashes, 36% involved a drunken driver. Last year, two people were killed, and 31 others injured in California on Labor Day alone.
Funding for DUI enforcement is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
