Police to Hold DUI Checkpoints Friday in Temecula, Murrieta

Police in Temecula and Murrieta announced they will be conducting DUI/driver’s license checkpoints Friday night.

Both operations will be set up at undisclosed locations within their respective city limits, according to separate news releases issued Tuesday.

In Murrieta, the operation will be held between 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16 and 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 17.

Temecula police will man a checkpoint from 9 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday.

Checkpoints are placed in locations that have the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence and provide the greatest safety for officers and the public, Temecula police Sgt. John Magnan stated.

Motorists should be prepared to be briefly contacted by officers as they check for signs of impairment and proper licensing.

The deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is a proven resource in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug involved crashes, Murrieta police Sgt. Jim Gruwell stated.

“Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed eight lives and resulted in 78 injury crashes harming 105 of our friends and neighbors,” Gruwell said.

Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough.

Funding for both operations is being provided through grants from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding considerable cost savings for every $1 spent, according to NHTSA.

Law enforcement agencies throughout California and the nation are stepping up DUI enforcement before and during the Labor Day holiday, from Aug. 16
through Sept. 2, as part of the national "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over"
campaign.