The Newhall CHP really knows how to celebrate New Year’s Eve and they’re sharing it with the whole community by conducting a sobriety checkpoint in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County on Friday night from 6:30 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. New Year’s Day.

They know that most of us know better than to drink and drive, but for the few folks who haven’t quite got the message, the officers would like to have a word with them.

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Motorists approaching the checkpoint will see informational signs advising them of a sobriety checkpoint ahead. Once diverted into the lane, motorists will be detained only a few moments while an officer explains the purpose of the checkpoint.

The goal of the DUI checkpoint is to create awareness among the motoring public, to deter people from driving under the influence and to keep the streets safe for all. CHP officers hope to apprehend the DUI drivers who fail to heed the warnings. Checkpoints tend to reduce the number of drinking drivers on the road – and even though arrests totals may not rise dramatically, the psychological influence a checkpoint has on the motoring public is of major value.

Sobriety checkpoints will be conducted in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Supreme Court’s Ingersol v. Palmer decision. Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked. If traffic volume becomes too heavy, vehicles to be checked will be selected by a pre-set standard (such as every fifth or tenth vehicle) in order to assure objectivity.