DUI checkpoint in Costa Mesa on Saturday

Costa Mesa police on Saturday night will mount a DUI and driver’s license checkpoint at Newport Boulevard and Flower Street.

Starting at 7 p.m., officers will conduct field sobriety tests on drivers they suspect may be impaired.

Costa Mesa was ranked No. 20 on the list of “Top 50 DUI Cities” in California in 2008, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. Statewide, overall traffic deaths fell by 23% from 2007 to 2009.

“Everyone in California should be heartened with these figures,” Christopher J. Murphy, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety, said in a prepared statement. “But as encouraging as this is, we can’t let up on the efforts to encourage and support traffic safety.”

Murphy said people who see drunk drivers should report them by calling 911.

—Alexandra Baird