Temecula Police to Staff DUI, Driver's License Checkpoint Friday

A combination DUI and driver's license checkpoint is scheduled to take place Friday night in Temecula as part of an ongoing holiday crackdown.

Temecula Police Department’s Traffic Unit will be conducting the checkpoint between 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21 and 3 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22 at an undisclosed location in the city, according to a news release.

Drivers passing through the checkpoint should expect to be contacted by officers who will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, said Temecula police Sgt. John Magnan.

"Drivers caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension, and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes, court probation and other expenses that can exceed $10,000," Magnan said.

"All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers," Magnan said. "Over the course of this year, DUI collisions have claimed one life and resulted in injuries to several of our friends and neighbors in Temecula."

This DUI/Driver’s License checkpoint—to be located in an area that will provide the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence and provide the greatest safety for officers and the public—is an effort to reduce those tragedies, the sergeant said.

Funding for the checkpoint is being provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the news release.