DUI checkpoint happening tonight in Newport Beach

Newport Beach police will conduct a DUI checkpoint tonight at Jamboree Road and Santa Barbara Drive.

From 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. police will be stationed on northbound Jamboree Road screening for license and seatbelt violations, and to arrest anyone driving under the influence, police said.

The checkpoint was picked based on its proximity to bars and restaurants, officials said.

Checkpoints tend to reduce the number of drinking drivers but don’t necessarily produce a dramatic rise in arrests. Instead they serve as an educational and deterrent influence for the public, police said.

Police will also conduct a saturation patrol to find drivers under the influence. Funding for the checkpoint was provided by the state’s Office of Traffic Safety.

— Joseph Serna