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DPS to hold more checkpoints on Saipan
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Posted on Oct 30 2004
The Department of Public Safety Traffic Section announced yesterday that it will hold sobriety and car seat-seat belt check points next week as part of efforts to deter and detect drunk and intoxicated drivers, as well as ensure that all vehicle occupants are protected.
According to the Traffic Section, each checkpoint will last an hour and 15 minutes at each location.
The car seat-seat belt checkpoint would be conducted on Nov. 4, with the first set up along Beach Road Chalan Piao in front of Hopwood Junior High School. The checkpoint is scheduled to begin at 8:30am and conclude at 9:45am.
The second setup will be on 16 Highway Chalan Monsignor Guerrero Road by the CUC Waterloo Station, from 3pm to 4:15pm.
DUI sobriety checkpoints will be held the next evening, Nov. 5, with the first set up on the Koblerville main road by the Koblerville basketball court from 7pm to 8:15pm.
A second checkpoint will be conducted on 2W Chalan Pale Arnold Road in front of Verizon from 9:30pm to 10:45pm.
The Traffic Section also said that officers will be performing highway criminal interdiction, saturation patrols, aggressive driver interdiction, and laser activities as well.
Traffic Section is required to conduct a minimum of 12 sobriety checkpoints per year.
Statistics provided by the Traffic Section indicate that 254 DUI arrests were made in the first nine months this year, majority of which involved males.
Off the 254, over 25 incidents involved motorists under the legal drinking age of 21.
Also, a total of 63 traffic-related accidents this year involved motorists driving under the influence.
On average, DPS officers respond to nearly 30 DUI incidents a month.
For more information, contact Sgt. Sylvan M. Rangamar at 664-9084/5/6.
