LAPD Emphasizes July 4th Weekend Traffic Safety Holiday Weekend Kicks Off with Sobriety Checkpoint

What:
4th of July Weekend DUI Prevention News Conference and Sobriety Checkpoint

When:
July 1, 2011
5 p.m. – News conference begins
5:30 p.m. – Sobriety checkpoint commences immediately following news conference

Where:
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Red Line Station
5350 North Lankershim Boulevard
North Hollywood, CA 91601

Who:
Los Angeles City Councilman Tom La Bonge, Council District 4
LAPD Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese, Commanding Officer, Operations-Valley Bureau
LAPD Captain Ivan Minsal, Commanding Officer, Valley Traffic Division
LAPD Captain Peter Whittingham, Patrol Commanding Officer, North Hollywood Area
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Representative

Why:
Because on average, someone is killed by a drunk driver in the United States every 48 minutes. LAPD officers arrested nearly 9,000 persons for driving under the influence of alcohol during 2010.  Also last year, there were 952 collisions involving intoxicated drivers in the City of Los Angeles.

Alcohol and drugs affect judgment, reaction time, concentration, vision and play major role in traffic collisions.  Everyone is at risk, including family members and friends.  Driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is not an accident but a choice, and it is against the law.

That’s why the LAPD’s joining our law enforcement partners to remind everyone who will be celebrating this 4th of July weekend that Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving and never to forget about planning a safe way home before the festivities begin.

Sobriety checkpoints are a proven enforcement tool effective in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol-involved crashes, as well as being a valuable means for heightening the awareness of impaired driving dangers.  Those who fail sobriety tests can expect to pay over $10,000 in expenses and fines.

Contact:
For more information, please contact Valley Traffic Detective Bill Bustos at 818-644-8021 or LAPD Media Relations at 213-486-5910.