Motorists traveling through Benicia on Friday may encounter a checkpoint somewhere in the city limits, where Benicia police will be conducting a check to make sure drivers haven’t been drinking and are remembering to carry their driver’s licenses.
Lt. Mike Greene said the exact location of the checkpoint will be a secret until police are set up at the site. The checks will be made from 7 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday.
“Officers will be contacting drivers passing through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol,” he said. They’ll also check for impairment because of drugs. In addition, motorists will be asked to produce their drivers’ licenses.
Greene said police will try to keep the delay to a minimum, but that those who appear to be driving while impaired will be evaluated by trained officers.
“Drunk drivers can expect to be arrested,” he warned.
He said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has determined that DUI checkpoints are documented as the most effective method of any enforcement strategy that is designed to reduce drunken and impaired driving.
In 2012, 10,322 people in the United States died in drunken driving crashes, he said; during the 2012 Labor Day weekend alone, 147 of those people lost their lives to a drunken driver in accidents that were 38 percent of the crashes that occurred during the holiday.
Of all the automobile fatalities happening that weekend, one in four were attributed to drivers with blood-alcohol concentrations of .15 percent or more, Greene said — nearly twice the legal limit in California, the other 49 states and the District of Columbia.
“This Labor Day weekend, don’t let the festivities turn into fatalities,” Greene said. “Remember that, aside from the obvious risks of killing yourself or someone else, driving impaired can also lead to serious punitive consequences.”
The cost of an average DUI arrest can be up to $10,000, he said.
That arrest can mean time in jail, loss of driver’s license and other steep expenses, including insurance premium hikes, he said.
Rather than that, he said, “We hope everyone enjoys this holiday weekend by being safe and responsible.”
Greene offered tips for motorists and passengers. One is to plan a safe way home before starting Labor Day activities. That includes choosing a sober, designated driver ahead of time, he said.
“If you wait until you’re impaired, you’re more likely to make a bad decision,” he said.
Those who have been drinking should take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation, he said.
Those who know someone is about to operate a motorcycle or other vehicle while drunk should take the keys, he added. “Help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.”
Anyone who sees an apparent intoxicated driver should call law enforcement immediately, Greene said.
“You could save a life.”