SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Police Department will be conducting a Driver Under the Influence (DUI)-Driver’s License Checkpoint on Friday, September 2 between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. at undisclosed location. According to the press release from the SMPD, the effect of DUI checkpoints are a proven factor in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol and/or drug related collisions. Research has shown that accidents involving impaired drivers can be reduced by 20 percent through enforcement checkpoints and routinely DUI patrols.

Drivers will be checked by traffic officers for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment and if they posses a valid driver’s license. The press release states that in the state of California in 2013, drunk driving was the cause of death to 867 persons and resulted in 23,000 serious injuries. Recent data shows that nearly 10,076 people were killed by impaired drivers.

Recent statistics show that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had traces of one or more drugs in their systems. The study found that more drivers tested positive for drug impairment (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that the most effective documented results have come from checkpoints. NHTSA further states that about 90 percent of California drivers approve of DUI checkpoints.

The California Office of Traffic Safety is funding the DUI enforcement through a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The police also would like to remind everyone to call 9-1-1 to report drunk drivers.