Police DUI Checkpoint Results in Citations and Arrests, but Not for Drunken Driving

The San Bruno police's DUI checkpoint last week produced no arrests for drunken driving, but more than 1,000 vehicles passed through the checkpoint, two arrests were made for other violations and a dozen citations were given, the department said.

Police set up the checkpoint from 7 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday at the intersection of San Bruno and Traeger avenues, two blocks from El Camino Real. Although no one was stopped for driving under the influence, that wasn't the entire point of it all, said Cmdr. Matt Campi, the department's spokesman.

"The success of a checkpoint isn't always an arrest for drunk driving," he said. "We screened more than a thousand people. So even if half of those people told someone else, it would just start a chain reaction through the education process."

Before Tuesday, the department said the goal of the checkpoint, funded by a grant from the state's Office of Traffic Safety, was to reduce the number of impaired drivers on San Bruno roads through deterrence and arrests, and to help ensure the safety of all drivers.

In the end, Campi said, police screened 1,019 vehicles, passing out brochures explaining the checkpoint along with information about the dangers of driving under the influence.

Officers arrested two drivers on suspicion of possession of narcotics paraphernalia, although police wouldn't provide details of the arrests.

Officers also issued eight citations to people for driving without a license and four citations to people for driving with a suspended license. Eight vehicles were also impounded, Campi added.

Police encourage people who plan on drinking to designate a sober driver, and also ask anyone who witnesses a drunken driver to report them by calling 9-1-1.

DUI Law in California

Implied Consent

Anyone granted the driving privilege is presumed to have given consent to law enforcement to conduct chemical testing of the motorist's blood or breath.

0.08 percent

Driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs is in violation of the law, as is anyone driving with a blood alcohol reading of 0.08 percent or higher.

Truckers' DUI

It is illegal for a driver to operate a commercial vehicle with a blood alcohol reading of 0.04 percent or higher. (Driver will be put out of service with a reading of 0.01 percent or higher.)

Underage DUI

Zero Tolerance

A driver under 21 years of age with a blood alcohol reading of 0.01 percent or higher on a Preliminary Alcohol Screening (PAS) device may have his license revoked or suspended.

License Suspension or Revocation

A driver under 21 with a blood alcohol reading of 0.05 percent or higher is subject to arrest and license suspension or revocation.

Source: California Highway Patrol