SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety officers will operate a safety and sobriety checkpoint on Saturday, August 27. The primary purpose of the checkpoint is public education.
Each year a countywide “Avoid the 13” safe-driving program is launched by police agencies in Santa Clara County. Numerous checkpoints will be established throughout the county, all with the intent of educating the public to the perils of driving while impaired.
“Our goal is clear: to reduce the number of alcohol-related traffic collisions in the City of Sunnyvale,” said DPS Director Don Johnson. “Driving under the influence of alcohol is a crime and will not be tolerated.”
The checkpoint provides an opportunity to locate drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and remove them from local roadways. Each year, drivers who are under the influence cause a disproportionately high number of collisions, many of which result in injury or death.
This year, Sunnyvale will operate its own checkpoint. Cars traveling northbound on Mathilda Avenue between Maude and San Aleso Avenues will be randomly stopped and checked. Officers will look at the safety of the vehicle, use of seatbelts, the operator’s license and state of sobriety. The checkpoint is scheduled to operate from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers – MADD – will also be present to distribute educational materials.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.