17 Drivers Arrested During DUI Checkpoint

MURRIETA, CA -- Seventeen drivers were arrested recently during a DUI checkpoint in Murrieta.

The checkpoint, held on Aug. 20, is a part of a national campaign to stop drunk drivers, according a press release. Another checkpoint is planned for 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Sept. 3.

On average, more than 10,000 people have died each year during 2010 to 2014 in drunk-driving crashes nationwide while California recorded 882 deaths, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

During the 2014 Labor Day holiday weekend, 40 percent of the fatalities in traffic crashes involved drunk drivers, which was the highest percentage over the five years 2010 to 2014. And nighttime proves to be the most dangerous time to be out on the roads.

"People need to understand that drunk driving is not only deadly, but it is illegal," said Murrieta Sgt. Jay Froboese. "Drunk driving is a massive problem in the United States, with more than 10,000 people dying annually. Drivers need to pay attention to their own driving, but also to others on the road who could be driving drunk."

Of the 9,967 people who were killed in impaired-driving crashes in 2014, 64 percent were the drunk drivers themselves.

"This is important to remember: do not trust yourself when you drink," Froboese said. "You may think you aren't drunk, but law enforcement will know you are. Law enforcement officers' skills in detecting and identifying drunk drivers have never been better. They will spot you and arrest you."

Funding for the extra DUI enforcement operations is a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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