By Lookout Staff
July 22, 2025 -- Santa Monica police will crack down on motorists driving under the influence (DUI) Friday as a new California bill aimed at preventing drunk drivers winds its way towards approval.
The Santa Monica DUI checkpoint will take place from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. at a location "determined based on data showing incidents of impaired driving-related crashes," police officials said.
"The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints are to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off the road."
Assembly Bill 366, which was approved by the Senate Public Safety Committee last Tuesday, goes a step further by preventing DUI offenders from taking the wheel.
Authored by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine), the bill "would establish the state’s first-ever statewide ignition interlock device (IID) program for all DUI offenders," including first-time offenders, according to her office.
“California is in the middle of a drunk driving epidemic," Petrie-Norris said in April after the bill was introduced. "The good news is we can do something to make our roads safer. Our measure saves lives before the car even starts.
"Installing an ignition interlock device in the vehicles of all convicted drunk drivers will stop crashes before they can claim an innocent life," the Assemblymember said.
According to the Assemblymembers's staff, IIDs prevented more than 30,500 attempts to drive under the influence in California in 2023.
The current 2019 law, which is set to expire in January, doesn't apply to first time offenders. If AB 366 fails to pass, California would become the only State in the nation without an ignition interlock requirement. AB 366 now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Under California law, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content level (BAC) of .08 percent or higher.
According to the California Driver Handbook, it takes two drinks consumed within one hour by a woman between 120-160 pounds and three drinks by a man between 180-220 pounds to be over the legal limit.
One drink is based on 1.5 ounces of liquor (40 percent alcohol), 12 ounces of beer (4.5 percent alcohol) or a 5 ounce glass of wine (12 percent alcohol). The BAC lowers at a rate of .01 percent for every 40 minutes between drinks.
During the Santa Monica checkpoint, officers will look for signs that drivers are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, including marijuana and prescription medications.
Drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license.
Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
