LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol will conduct a sobriety checkpoint in Lake County on Sunday, April 14.
“The desired result is to save lives and make the roadways safe for both our community residents and those visiting our beautiful county,” said Lieutenant Greg Baarts, commander of the CHP’s Clear Lake Area office.
The sobriety checkpoint will be staffed by officers who are trained in the detection of alcohol and/or drug impaired drivers.
Drug recognition evaluators, certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will be on site to provide on the spot assessments of drivers suspected of drug use.
The officers also will be equipped with state of the art handheld breath devices which provide an accurate measure of blood alcohol concentrations of suspected drunk drivers.
“Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs can expect to be arrested,” said Baarts. “Our goal is to ensure the safe passage of each and every motorist by targeting roads where there is a high frequency of drunk driving.”
He added, “DUI enforcement patrols, as well as sobriety checkpoints, are effective tools for achieving this goal and are designed to augment existing patrol operations. By publicizing our efforts, we believe that we can deter motorists from drinking and driving.”
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.