Four drivers were arrested for Driving Under the Influence and a fifth driver was arrested for a narcotic-related violation Friday evening during the Gilroy Police Department Traffic Unit’s DUI/Driver’s License checkpoint.
In all, approximately 556 vehicles drove through the checkpoint with 26 of those vehicles diverted to the secondary checkpoint. Ten citations were issued to drivers for driving unlicensed, and eight citations were issued to drivers driving on a suspended license.
Funding for the checkpoint was provided to the GPD by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is a proven resource in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug involved crashes, according to the GPD’s Traffic Unit, which will continue to conduct these checkpoints. Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough.
