LAKE COUNTY — The California Highway Patrol (CHP) will conduct a sobriety checkpoint on Saturday in Lake County. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The desired result is to save lives and make everyone”s family summer excursion, for community residents and those visiting the county, a safe and pleasurable memory, Lt. Mark Loveless, CHP Area Commander, said.
The sobriety checkpoint will be staffed by officers who are trained in the detection of alcohol and/or drug impaired drivers. Drug recognition experts, certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will be on-site to provide assessments of drivers suspected of drug use. The officers will also be equipped with hand-held breath devices to provide an accurate measure of blood alcohol concentrations of suspected drunk drivers. Cal-Trans employees will be on-site providing traffic control in order to ensure the safety of officers and motorists.
Lt. Loveless said traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, or unlicensed, can expect to be arrested.
DUI enforcement patrols, as well as sobriety checkpoints, are effective tools for achieving the goal of saving lives and making the roads safe. It is designed to augment existing patrol operations. Publicizing the efforts can deter motorists from drinking and driving.
