DUI checkpoint in Modesto tonight

A DUI and driver’s license checkpoint will be held tonight at an undisclosed location within Modesto between the hours of 8:30 p.m. and 3:30 a.m., according to the Police Department Traffic Unit.

Officers will be contacting drivers passing through the checkpoint for signs of alcohol or drug impairment. They also will check drivers for proper licensing. Drivers caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes and other expenses that can exceed $10,000, police say.

In 2011, nearly 10,000 people were killed nationwide in motor vehicle traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or higher. In California, the crime led to 774 deaths because someone failed to designate a sober driver.

Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough, according to a news release from Modesto police.

Funding for the checkpoint comes from a California Office of Traffic Safety grant, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This story was originally published June 26, 2015 at 8:04 AM with the headline "DUI checkpoint in Modesto tonight."