DOWNEY - The Downey Police Department will conduct a DUI/driver's license checkpoint on Jan. 6 from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.Police officials didn't say where the checkpoint would be located but said it would be conducted in a location "that has the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence and provides the greatest safety for officers and the public. Police officers will be checking motorists for signs of alcohol or drug impairment, or drivers operating a vehicle without a proper license. Motorists caught driving impaired can expect their driver's license to be suspended, insurance increases, plus fines, fees, DUI classes and other expenses that can exceen $10,000, authorities warned. "Over the course of the past year, there have been 118 DUI traffic collisions injuring 46 of our friends and neighbors in Downey, " said Sgt. Scott Loughner of the Downey Police Department. According to the National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent. Funding for the checkpoint is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

********** Published: December 29, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 37