DUI, driver's license checkpoint planned for Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl revelers be wary: local authorities are stepping up enforcement this Sunday and will be on the lookout for drunk and drugged drivers.

The Porterville Police Department plans to conduct a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint somewhere within city limits. The checkpoint will run from 6:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., and will target drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs.

The checkpoint is in addition to regularly scheduled patrol officers, all on the lookout for intoxicated drivers behind the wheel.

“We want everyone to make the right decision on Super Bowl Sunday,” said Chris Murphy, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety in a PPD press release issued Wednesday.

“Game planning a sober driver is the best bet possible. It’s everyone’s call to make this year’s Super Bowl Sunday safe.”

Motorists can also expect the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol to have a visible presence and to stop anyone who makes the decision to drink and drive, the PPD said.

In California, 774 people were killed in DUI crashes, with more than 24,000 injured. These DUI fatalities accounted for 29 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the state.

In addition, alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was almost twice as high during the weekend, at 31 percent, than during weekdays, at 16 percent, and four times higher at night, 37 percent, than during the day, according to statistics provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

DUI checkpoints are funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety.