DUI checkpoint somewhere within Modesto on Friday night

No time is OK to drive drunk or buzzed, but it would be particularly unwise Friday night in Modesto.

The Police Department Traffic Unit will set up a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint at an undisclosed location within city limits that night. It will be operated from 7 p.m. until 1:30 Saturday morning.

Publicized DUI checkpoints and so-called saturation patrols are proven effective methods to deter drunk driving and lower the numbers of crashes, injuries and deaths, police say. A news release posted on the Police Department’s Facebook page reads in part, “Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed 19 lives and resulted in 232 injury crashes harming 343 of our friends and neighbors in Modesto.”

Additionally at the checkpoint, drivers will be checked to ensure they have a valid driver’s license. When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving.

An arrest for alcohol- or drug-impaired driving can cost up to $10,000 or even more, the Police Department warns, including time in jail, the loss of your driver’s license and higher insurance rates.

This story was originally published November 28, 2018 at 9:44 AM.