Eight-hour DUI checkpoint will target impaired drivers in San Mateo Friday night
San Mateo, California – For eight hours Friday night, one San Mateo intersection will become a screening point for impaired drivers, and police are making the location public in advance.
The San Mateo Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint from 6 p.m. Friday, August 21, until 2 a.m. Saturday in the area of S. Norfolk Street and Shoreview Avenue. The operation comes with a straightforward goal: identify suspected impaired drivers before a bad decision behind the wheel becomes a crash.
Police do not choose checkpoint locations at random. According to the department, sites are selected using data on crashes connected to impaired driving. Checkpoints are intended both as an enforcement tool and as a visible reminder that driving after using an impairing substance can carry serious consequences.
The numbers behind that effort remain stark. Nationally, more than 10,000 people are killed each year by drunk drivers.
But San Mateo police are also stressing that impairment does not begin and end with alcohol. Certain prescription medications can affect a person’s ability to drive safely, and some over-the-counter drugs can do the same.
Marijuana presents another concern. Although both medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal in California, driving under the influence of marijuana remains illegal. Drivers are responsible for knowing whether alcohol, cannabis or medication could impair them before getting behind the wheel.
Beyond the immediate safety risk, a DUI can also become an expensive and lasting legal problem. Police say a driver charged with a first-time DUI faces an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, along with a suspended driver’s license.
Friday’s checkpoint is scheduled to continue through the late-night hours, when officers will be watching for drivers suspected of operating vehicles while impaired.
Read also: San Mateo puts school-zone safety in focus as classrooms fill up again
Funding for the operation comes from a grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
For drivers heading through San Mateo on Friday night, the message behind the checkpoint is simple: impairment can come from more than one source, and the safest choice is to avoid driving when alcohol, marijuana or medication could affect judgment or reaction time.
