Riverside County Sheriff's Department DUI checkpoints 'significantly improve traffic safety'

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A DUI checkpoint in Palm Desert resulted in four field sobriety tests and one arrest for driving under the influence. | Pix/stevepb

To crack down on drunk driving and the roadway danger it creates, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department recently held a sobriety checkpoint in Palm Desert and arrested a Banning man.

"Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk," Sgt. Don Olson said, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's website. "Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improves traffic safety.”

According to the website, multiple citations for violations other than driving under the influence resulted from the DUI checkpoint, which saw 994 vehicles on Friday, April 7. Among those citations, 17 people were found to be driving without a license and one motorist had a suspended license. 

The department performed a secondary screening on 37 vehicles and ran four field sobriety tests. Among them, one man was charged with DUI, and he has been identified as Robert Hatfield, 48, of Banning. 

The checkpoint was held from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Monterey Avenue and Country Club Drive in the Coachella Valley with the mission of ensuring public safety and removing impaired drivers from the streets. This precise location was not random, Olson said, but it was chosen based on reported incidents involving drivers in an impaired state.

For help in conducting this safety initiative, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department utilized a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Drivers are told that this is not the last DUI checkpoint they can expect to see in their daily travels. Similar checkpoints will continue to be held by law-enforcement agencies in Coachella Valley, with the goal of driver safety in mind, and that other traffic safety operations also may be dedicated to this cause.  

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department reminds motorists to do their share to promote safety by refraining from alcohol before hitting the road, following all traffic laws and ensuring that their license is valid to operate a vehicle.

If convicted of DUI, a driver could be required to pay an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties and also have their license suspended.