This is a heads up to anyone coming to West Hollywood from the Westside and passing through the Beverly Hills area this Friday evening. The Beverly Hills Police Department Traffic Bureau will be conducting a sobriety and driver’s license checkpoint on March 17th, 2023, in the area of North Santa Monica Blvd. and Crescent Drive. The checkpoint will be operational from approximately 5:00 PM and conclude at approximately 11:00 PM. All traffic will pass through the checkpoint. Motorists will be stopped and contacted by uniformed officers, who will be checking for alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers. Officers will also check to make sure all contacted drivers have valid driver’s licenses.
DUI checkpoint locations are determined based on data showing incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints is to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off the road.
“Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk,” Chief Mark G. Stainbrook said. “Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improve traffic safety.”
If you get behind the wheel, follow the following safety tips:
- Even one drink can impair your judgment and increase the risk of getting arrested for driving drunk — or worse, the risk of having a crash while driving.
- If you will be drinking, do not plan on driving. Plan ahead; designate a sober driver before the party begins.
- If you have been drinking, do not drive. Call a taxi, phone a sober friend or family member, use public transportation or call one of your local sober ride home programs.
Be responsible. If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel. - If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. Your actions may save someone’s life, and inaction could cost a life.
The Beverly Hills Police Department reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. While medicinal and recreational marijuana is legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.
Drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license.
Funding for impaired driving enforcement operations is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
