April 2, 2010 --Last month’s sobriety checkpoint by the Santa Monica Police Department at the 300 block of Pico Boulevard led to two arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol. More than 1,000 people drove through the checkpoint area on the night of March 17, and 242 were stopped in the random screening process.

“It’s unfortunate that we get any DUI arrests, so you don’t want to look at it as a success,” Sgt. Jay Trisler of the SMPD said. “Hopefully people aren’t drinking and driving. And hopefully people aren’t driving without licenses. Our ultimate goal is to have no violations at all.”

Five people were cited for driving without a license. Another eight were cited for other violations. Twenty-nine people were found to have “somewhat of an objective symptom,” causing police officers to require a field sobriety test. But all but the two who were arrested were allowed to go on their way following the tests.

The sobriety checkpoint was the first of several planned this year by the SMPD. They are funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Trisler said the purpose of the checkpoints, which are preannounced, is educational, “It’s a reminder for people that driving under the influence is a violation that will result in an arrest,”

“Be responsible, there are other alternatives to driving when you’re intoxicated.” Alternatives include finding a designated driver, taking a taxi and riding the Big Blue Bus. Trisler said.

There were 342 arrests for DUI in Santa Monica last year. The SMPD did not have available statistics from previous years to make a comparison. Last year saw a decrease in DUI-related collisions, with 36 taking place in 2009 and 48 taking place in 2008. Trisler did not immediately have information on how many of those collisions involved fatalities.

Statewide, DUI incidents are down significantly. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, there were 1,029 DUI-related fatalities in 2008 (the most recent year from which statistics are available). That is a 9.1 percent decrease from 2007 and a 20.1 percent decrease from 2005.

Thirty percent of all traffic fatalities in California during 2008 involved alcohol. This state is below the national average, which is 32 percent.

The decrease in fatalities could be due to an increase in arrests. Nearly 215,000 people were arrested for DUI in 2008, the most since 1993, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.