SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Police Department will be conducting a DUI Checkpoint on Thursday, December 27 at an undisclosed location within city limits between the hours of 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. The state of California has seen an increase in drug-impaired car crashes in recent years, and aims to inform drivers that booze is not the only form of a DUI.
Anyone taking prescription drugs, specifically those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, could be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana can impair driving when combined with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.
Drivers are asked to download the Designated Driver VIP, or “DDVIP,” free mobile app for Android or iPhone. The DDVIP app helps locate nearby bars and restaurants that feature free incentives for the designated sober driver, from free non-alcoholic drinks to free appetizers and more. The app has social media tie-ins and a tab for the non-DD to call Uber, Lyft or Curb.
Individuals 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 not to mention the embarrassment when friends and family find out.
Funding for the checkpoint is provided to the SMPD by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminding everyone to ‘Report Drunk Driver – Call 9-1-1.’
