Full Notification

The Beverly Hills Police Department Traffic Bureau will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint on Friday, February 9, 2018, at Sunset Blvd. and Sierra Dr. between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.

Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, and checking drivers for proper licensing, delaying motorists only momentarily. When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving, which now accounts for a growing number of impaired driving crashes.

In recent years, California has seen a disturbing increase in drug-impaired driving crashes. The Beverly Hills Police Department supports the new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety that aims to educate all drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired which could result in a DUI arrest. Marijuana can also cause impairment, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI arrest.

The deterrent effect of High Visibility Enforcement using both DUI checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols has proven to lower the number of persons killed or injured in alcohol and drug impaired crashes. Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized proactive DUI operations are conducted routinely.

In California, alcohol involved collisions led to 1,155 deaths and nearly 24,000 serious injuries in 2014 because someone failed to designate a sober driver. Studies of California drivers have shown that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems. A study of drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may impair driving (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent). Of the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent, at 7.4 percent, slightly more than alcohol. Everyone should be mindful that if you take medication – whether prescription or over-the-counter – drinking even small amounts of alcohol can greatly intensify the impairment affects.

Drivers are encouraged to download the Designated Driver VIP, or “DDVIP,” free mobile app for Android or iPhone. The DDVIP app helps find nearby bars and restaurants that offer incentives for designated sober drivers, such as non-alcoholic drinks or appetizers. The feature-packed app has social media tie-ins and the ability for the non-Designated Drivers to request an Uber, Lyft or Curb.

Impaired drivers can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspensions and other expenses that can exceed $10,000.

Funding for this checkpoint is provided to the Beverly Hills Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Beverly Hills Police Department reminds everyone to Report Drunk Drivers by calling 9-1-1.