Police to set up DUI and license checkpoint Friday

The Costa Mesa Police Department will conduct a sobriety/license checkpoint from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday in the northbound lane of Santa Ana Avenue at 18th Street.

Police hope the checkpoint will educate the public about the dangers of driving under the influence and/or without a valid driver’s license.

The program was made possible by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

“We have been committed to saving lives by aggressively seeking out and removing impaired drivers from the roadways of Costa Mesa for nearly three decades,” Traffic Safety Bureau Officer Tony Yannizzi said.

Costa Mesa police arrested 1,062 such impaired drivers in 2007.

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, drunk driving is the nation’s most frequently committed violent crime, with two people dying every hour from alcohol-related collisions.

— Chris Caesar