Cinco De Mayo DUI Checkpoint Planned For Coachella Valley

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA — Riverside County deputies will run a DUI checkpoint in the Coachella Valley over Cinco de Mayo, and officials are reminding residents to stay out of the driver's seat if they have consumed alcohol, marijuana, or medications that can cause impairment.

The sheriff's office announced the checkpoint Monday, scheduled for an undisclosed location inside Rancho Mirage from 6 p.m. May 5 until 2 a.m. May 6.

"Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk," said Don Olson, a sergeant with the Riverside County Sheriff's Office. "Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improves traffic safety."

The sheriff's office chooses locations for DUI checkpoints based on data from previous incidents, and officials say their main purpose is to get impaired drivers off the road for everyone's safety. In addition to having their license suspended, drivers charged with their first DUI can expect to pay more than $13,000 in fines and penalties on average.

Funding for DUI checkpoints comes from federal grants distributed through California's Office of Traffic Safety.