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OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEWS RELEASE
| INCIDENT: | DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint Results |
| DATE/TIME: | Saturday, September 9, 2017 7:00 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. |
| LOCATION: | City of Oxnard |
| PREPARED BY: | Jamie Brown, Senior Officer |
| CONTACT PERSON AND CONTACT INFO: | Jamie Brown, Traffic Coordinator (805) 385-7749 |
DUI Checkpoint Nets Four DUI Arrests
The Oxnard Police Department Traffic Unit, Port Hueneme Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol conducted two DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoints on September 9, 2017, between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. The first checkpoint was located southbound Oxnard Boulevard south of Esplanade Drive. The second checkpoint was located southbound Victoria Avenue south of Hemlock Street. 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.
In recent years California has seen a disturbing increase in the number of traffic collisions involving drug impairment. The Oxnard Police Department supports the new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety that aims to educate drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a “driving or operating machinery” warning label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana can also cause impairment, especially when combined with alcohol or other drugs which may also result in a DUI.
Studies of California drivers have shown that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems. A study of active drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may impair driving (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent). Of the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent, at 7.4 percent, slightly more than alcohol.
The following are the results of the DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint:
- 1,914 vehicles through the checkpoint
- 1,657 vehicles screened
- 2 drivers arrested for felony warrants
- 1 DUI (drugs) arrest
- 6 DUI (alcohol) arrests
- 18 drivers cited/arrested for operating a vehicle while unlicensed and/or while suspended
- 35 citations issued
- 5 vehicles were towed
One driver was cited for reckless driving after he sped through the DUI checkpoint located at Oxnard Blvd. and Esplanade Drive. Officers evaluated the driver for DUI but determined he was below the legal limit.
Drivers are encouraged to download the Designated Driver VIP (DDVIP) free mobile app for Android or IPhone. The DDVIP app helps find nearby bars and restaurants that feature free incentives for the designated sober driver including free non-alcoholic drinks, free appetizers, and more. The feature-packed app even has social media tie-ins and a tab for the non-designated driver to call Uber, Lyft, or Curb.
Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension, and other expenses that can exceed $10,000 not to mention the embarrassment when friends and family find out.
The Oxnard Police Department will be conducting additional DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoints and DUI saturation patrols in our ongoing commitment to lowering deaths and injuries on our streets and highways.
The checkpoint was funded 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’.
DATE / TIME PREPARED: 09/10/17 3:30 a.m.