By Lookout Staff

September 12, 2019 -- As Santa Monica police prepare to conduct their 15th DUI checkpoint since 2016 on Friday and the second in the past three weeks, data released by the department shows the extent of the problem of driving under the influence.

Since 2016, officers have investigated 250 DUI collisions and made 276 DUI related arrests, said Lt. Candice Cobarrubias, the Police Department spokesperson.

In an effort to curb the number of motorists who drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, traffic officers will conduct a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint Friday from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. at an undisclosed location.

The checkpoint is part of an effort by the Office of Traffic Safety to educate drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.”

"If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI," Cobarrubias said.

"Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI."

Driving while under he influence of illegal or prescription drugs has become an increasingly serious problem in California.

A study of active California drivers found that 14 percent tested positive for drugs that may impair driving, double the 7.3 percent that tested positive for alcohol.

Studies have shown that about 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes in California had one or more drugs in their systems.

Friday's checkpoint marks the fourth such operation this year and the 15th since 2016, Cobarrubias said.

A total of 14,669 vehicles have been screened at the checkpoints, resulting in contacts with a total of 4,996 drivers, she said.

Forty one arrests have been made for operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license.

"Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspensions and other expenses," police officials said.

Funding for this checkpoint comes from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. To report a drunk driver call 9-1-1.