DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint Planned this Friday
The Newport Beach Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint on March 13 at an undisclosed location within the city limits between the hours of 8 p.m. and 2 a.m.
The deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is a proven resource in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug involved crashes.
Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized DUI checkpoints and proactive DUI patrols are conducted routinely.
In California, this deadly crime led to 802 deaths in 2012 because someone failed to designate a sober driver.Nationally, the latest data shows nearly 10,000 were killed by an impaired driver.
“Over the course of the past three years, DUI collisions have claimed three lives and resulted in 187 injury crashes harming 249 of our friends and neighbors,” said Sgt. Michael Schiavi of the NBPD.
Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment with officers checking drivers for proper licensing delaying motorists only momentarily. When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drug-impaired driving.
Recent statistics reveal that 30 percent of drivers in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems. A study of active drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may impair driving (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent). Of the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent, at 7.4 percent, slightly more than alcohol.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, checkpoints have provided the most effective documented results of any of the DUI enforcement strategies, while also yielding considerable cost savings of $6 for every $1 spent. Nearly 90 percent of California drivers approve of DUI checkpoints.
DUI Checkpoints are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests affording the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged driving deterrence. Locations are chosen with safety considerations for the officers and the public.
Drivers caught driving impaired can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to include jail time, fines, fees, DUI classes, other expenses that can exceed $10,000 not to mention the embarrassment when friends and family find out.
Funding for this checkpoint is provided to the Newport Beach Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reminding everyone to “Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1.”
Lecture, Discussion on Late-Talking Children
Stephen Camarata, Ph.D., professor of speech and hearing sciences and associate professor of special education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., will host a discussion and Q-and-A session in Newport Beach this weekend.
The free event will be held Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Newport Beach Civic Center Community Room.
He will discuss his book, “Late-Talking Children: A Symptom or a Stage?” Camarata will cover topics about why a child may not be talking, what to do with no diagnosis, how to advocate and support a late-talking child, and more.
Newport Beach mom Cheryl Lessley helped organize the event.
For more information, call Lessley at (949) 500-5951.
To RSVP, visit drCamaratabookevent.eventbrite.com.
‘A Century Beyond John Muir’ at NB Library
Concordia University’s Center for Public Policy will host “A Century Beyond John Muir,” a look at the legacy of the naturalist, author and environmentalist 100 years after his death, at the Newport Beach Public Library, located at 1000 Avocado, on Thursday.
“Muir was influential to the preservation of nature and striking a balance between human activity and conservation, and he helped preserve the Yosemite Valley and founded the Sierra Club, one of the first large-scale environmental preservation organizations in the world,” said Keith Curry, director of the Concordia University Center for Public Policy. “This program will discuss the impact of Muir’s efforts with data on current conditions in our state and period photos of Muir and of 19th and 20th century California.”
The event features the John Muir Memorial Chair of Geography and UCLA Distinguished Professor Glen M. MacDonald, a UC presidential chair and former director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability from 2009-2014. He is a professor of geography and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCLA. His research focuses on climate change, its causes and its impact on the environment and society.
The event will begin with a wine and cheese reception at 6 p.m. followed by the presentation at 7 p.m. The cost to attend is $25 per person. Reservations are required by Tuesday.
To register or for additional information about the program, visit cui.edu/cpp, or call (949) 214-3200.
Find Your Zen This Weekend
Find Your Zen Yoga & Nutrition Studio will open its doors in Corona del Mar on Saturday with an open house from 9 a.m. to noon.
Located on East Pacific Coast Hwy and Goldenrod, directly above Summer House restaurant, this new boutique yoga studio will offer a new style of interval yoga created by founder Christina Ratusznik, as well as traditional power, vinyasa flow, and yin yoga styles.
The studio will also offer nutrition coaching providing clients with a solution to long-term results and whole health. A retail boutique will showcase the latest in women’s yoga wear, mats, water bottles and more.
Find Your Zen will offer more than 20 yoga classes per week, private yoga sessions and nutrition coaching by appointment.
Find Your Zen is offering two free weeks of unlimited yoga classes so the public can get a feel for the studio and bring friends, family and neighbors.
A variety of membership discounts will be available during this time.
For more information, visit findyourzenwellness.com.
