The Culver City Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting DUI checkpoints at undisclosed locations within the Culver City area throughout August. There will also be special DUI Roving Saturation Patrols taking place as well.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in every three traffic deaths in the United States involves drunk driving. In California—per the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) website stats on the state—29% of all traffic deaths last year were caused by driving while drunk. There were also 141,458 Driving Under the Influence (DUI) arrests in 2016.

Martin Feinberg, Culver City Realtor, is encouraged that California, and specifically the Culver City Real Estate area community, takes this problem seriously.

Per the MADD website, “California launched an ignition interlock pilot program requiring interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers in four counties – Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Tulare – covering 13 million people. “ There is still more to do however, to make California roads as safe as possible.

Not everyone agrees that DUI checkpoints accomplish their goals. According to Richard Berman, who works for a PR firm in Washington D.C., a Californian DUI checkpoint last year stopped 1400 drivers but yielded no DUI arrests. Many believe that such checkpoints are too easy to spot and therefore simple for those who actually drink and drive to avoid. Others though suggest that the lack of such arrests at checkpoints prove that they keep drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel.

The DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint will take place on August 18 between the hours of 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. The Rover DUI Saturation Patrols will happen throughout the month, between noon and 3 a.m.   According to the Culver City Police Department, they will focus on those areas that have a history of high frequency DUI collisions and/or arrests.

Martin Feinberg, Realtor, was disappointed to learn that over the past three years there have been three deaths and 17 injuries caused by DUI collisions in Culver City. Hopefully, those numbers will move closer to zero as drinking and driving becomes more difficult, thanks in part to the Culver City Police Department.