DUI Checkpoint Set For Murrieta Tonight

There will be a DUI/driver's license checkpoint in Murrieta tonight.

Murrieta police will be conducting the checkpoint beginning at 6 p.m. tonight at an undisclosed location.

The checkpoint is in conjunction with a nationwide intensive crackdown on impaired driving beginning today through Sept. 5.

Murrieta Police Department is joining nearly 10,000 other law enforcement agencies in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign, Sgt. James Gruwell in a news release.

Riverside County Avoid the 30 Task Force, which includes the , will also deploy DUI/driver's license checkpoints, multi-agency DUI task force operations and local roving DUI patrols during the 18-day summer/Labor Day campaign, Gruwell said.

“Since twice as many alcohol-impaired accidents occur over the weekend and four times as many occur at night, we will be especially vigilant during these high-risk times when impaired drivers are most likely to be on our roads,” said Murrieta police Chief Mike Baray.

According to the Murrieta Police Department, violators will face jail time, loss of their driver's licenses, or being sentenced to use ignition interlocks.

Their insurance rates can increase, and other financial hits include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work and the potential loss of job or job prospects, according to the news release.

When family, friends and co-workers find out, violators can also face tremendous personal embarrassment and humiliation, according to the news release.

The vigilant "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign is led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in cooperation with the California Avoid DUI Task Force Campaign.

According to the NHTSA, in 2009, 10,839 people died in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal limit. The age group with the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes were those ages 21 through 24.

Law enforcement reminded citizens to report suspected drunk drivers by calling 911.