DOWNEY - The Downey Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint on Friday, Aug. 26, at an undisclosed location within the city from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.Officers will be checking drivers for signs of alcohol or drug impairment. Field sobriety tests will be conducted on anyone an officer suspects has been drinking or is impaired. "If you fail, expect jail," authorities said. Over the last three years, DUI collisions in Downey have claimed four lives and injured 117 people, said Sgt. Dan Murray of the Downey Police Department. Statewide, overall traffic deaths have declined by 11.9 percent, from 3,081 in 2009, to 2,715 in 2010, according to state figures. Total traffic fatalities decreased for the fifth consecutive year and are at their lowest level in six decades, when the federal government began compiling figures. DUI deaths dropped 16 percent, from 1,132 in 2007 to 950 in 2009, according to federal statistics. Alcohol-impaired deaths still make up the largest category of overall vehicle fatalities in 2009, with 31 percent of all deaths caused by a drunk or impaired driver. "Everyone in California should be heartened with these figures," said Christopher Murphy, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. "But as encouraging as this is, we can't let up on the efforts to encourage and support traffic safety. You can help make your community safe; if you see a drunk driver, call 911." The checkpoint in Downey is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

********** Published: August 25, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 19