The California Highway Patrol, Oceanside area, and the Carlsbad Police Department will conduct a driving under the influence safety checkpoint Friday at an undisclosed location within the city of Carlsbad.
"All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on our local roadways by intoxicated drivers," said CHP Sgt. Mark Keyes. "Removing impaired drivers saves lives, and that's our No. 1 goal. CHP strategy is to ensure the safe passage of each and every motorist by focusing enforcement where there is a high frequency of intoxicated drivers.
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"A sobriety checkpoint is a proven effective tool and is designed to augment existing patrol operations," Keyes continued. "Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked for drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Our objective is to send a clear message to individuals who consider driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs: You will be caught, and your vehicle will be towed away."
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The date and location of this checkpoint were chosen to coincide with two separate incidents that took the lives of CHP officers assigned to the Oceanside area office, the sergeant said. On Oct. 28, 2000, Officer Sean Nava was struck and killed by an impaired driver as he investigated a traffic collision on Interstate 5 in Carlsbad. On Aug. 12, 2001, Officer Stephen Linen was struck and killed by an impaired driver as he conducted an enforcement stop on Interstate 5 in Encinitas.
Funding for this checkpoint operation is provided from a grant by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
