20 Sober Drivers Happy to Receive ‘Tickets’

REDLANDS >> Surprised drivers received tickets last week for driving sober, but they weren’t unhappy about it. Redlands Police along with students from Citrus Valley High School’s Friday Night Live handed out Krikorian Premiere Theater movie tickets to 20 drivers during a DUI/Driver License checkpoint Thursday, March 31. The first 20 sober drivers through the checkpoint each received a free movie ticket. Tickets were donated by the Citrus Valley High School chapter of Friday Night Live, a statewide alcohol and substance abuse prevention project. Members of the group also handed out safe-driving information to drivers passing through the checkpoint. A total of 321 vehicles passed through the checkpoint in the eastbound lanes of Citrus Avenue at Church Street between 10 p.m. Thursday, March 31 and 2 a.m. Friday morning. No citations for were issued for driving under the influence. “This just demonstrates that more drivers are taking responsibility and using a designated driver, Uber or a taxi to get home safely,” said Redlands Police Department Traffic Unit supervisor Sgt. Ken Wright. Police did cite one driver for driving on a suspended license. Three others were cited for driving without a license and one driver was arrested for possession of drugs for sale. Funding for the checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. DUI checkpoints are components of the Redlands Police Department’s Responsible Redlands initiative. The Redlands Police Department, with the support of state agencies, including the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and Office of Traffic Safety, the County of San Bernardino, local businesses and community groups, launched the initiative in late August 2013 to focus on enforcing alcohol laws. The Responsible Redlands initiative aims to curb the problems related to binge and underage drinking in Redlands in order to achieve a safer, healthier community. The campaign includes DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols to identify intoxicated drivers, party patrols to enforce the City’s Social Host Ordinance, decoy operations to cite businesses and individuals who provide alcohol to underage persons and educational efforts for local businesses that serve alcohol. Responsible Redlands welcomes partnerships with alcohol retailers and establishments that serve alcohol.