Nine DUI arrests at Mission Bay checkpoint

San Diego police arrested nine motorists on suspicion of drunk driving at an overnight driver’s license/sobriety checkpoint in Mission Bay.

The checkpoint at 2400 Grand Ave. began at 10 p.m. Saturday and ended at 3 a.m. Sunday.

Nine vehicles were also impounded at the checkpoint, according to Lt. Adam Sharki of the San Diego Police Department.

Over the five hour event, 1,772 vehicles passed through the checkpoint, 634 vehicles were screened and 19 drivers evaluated, Sharki said.

The checkpoint was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,

According to SDPD, DUI/Driver License checkpoints have been shown to lower DUI deaths and injuries. Police cite information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that says checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent. Ninety percent of California drivers approve of checkpoints.

Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes and other expenses that can exceed $10,000, Sharki said.

The department plans to hold another checkpoint or DUI saturation patrol on Thursday at an undisclosed location.