Friday revelers, take note: DUI checkpoint tonight
Gilroy – To curb drunken drivers, Gilroy police will host the first sobriety checkpoint of the season tonight, checking up on Friday night revelers. Up to 400 cars are expected to pass through the educational stop, where police will distribute flyers and children’s toys and sniff out soused drivers, while they’re at it.
By law, the checkpoints can’t trap drivers, said Sgt. Kurt Svardal. Police are used to seeing drivers suddenly stop or steer around a checkpoint, said Cpl. Rosa Quinones, although some drunken drivers drive in, anyway.
“So we know that being under the influence affects their decision-making,” Quinones jokes. But the checkpoints don’t yield many arrests: they’re primarily educational, said Svardal.
The checkpoint will be held from 10pm to 2am on the west side of Gilroy, near First Street, Quinones said. Friday marks the first night of the county-wide Avoid the 13 program, now in its 22nd year. Neighboring San Mateo and San Benito counties host similar programs, modeled on Avoid the 13.
