Crime & Safety
DUI Checkpoint Planned In Santa Monica This Week
The SMPD plans to ramp up drunken-driving enforcement in Santa Monica this week.
![The DUI checkpoint location targets an area with a record of impaired driving-related crashes and arrests, the Santa Monica Police Department](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/26494162/20240730/075158/styles/patch_image/public/dui-checkpoint-sign-patch-renee-schiavone___30195056194.jpg)
SANTA MONICA, CA — The Santa Monica Police Department will ramp up drunken-driving enforcement on Friday with a DUI checkpoint, the department announced.
Police will conduct the checkpoint at an undisclosed location in the city between 6 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
The DUI checkpoint location targets an area with a record of impaired driving-related crashes and arrests, police said.
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"SMPD reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal," the department said in a release.
Drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license, according to the SMPD.
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