Updated

Updated · Bakersfield Now · Jun 15

Bakersfield Police Arrest 3 for DUI, Cite 28 at 1,318-Vehicle Stockdale Checkpoint

Updated

Updated · Bakersfield Now · Jun 15

Bakersfield Police Arrest 3 for DUI, Cite 28 at 1,318-Vehicle Stockdale Checkpoint

Q: Stopped at a California DUI checkpoint, must you take a breathalyzer test before you are arrested?

No. In California, an adult driver stopped at a DUI checkpoint generally does not have to take a roadside breathalyzer before being arrested. At a checkpoint like the one Bakersfield police ran on Stockdale Highway, drivers must stop and provide license, registration and proof of insurance. But for most drivers age 21 or older who are not on DUI probation, the handheld roadside breath test — called a Preliminary Alcohol Screening, or PAS, test — is voluntary before arrest. Standard field sobriety tests are also generally voluntary. That changes after a lawful DUI arrest. Under California’s implied-consent law, a driver arrested on suspicion of DUI must submit to an evidentiary chemical test, usually breath or blood. Refusing that post-arrest test can trigger a license suspension and can be used against the driver in court. There are important exceptions. Drivers under 21 and people on DUI probation are generally required to take the PAS test even before arrest. So, in a checkpoint stop such as Bakersfield’s, police may ask a driver to perform roadside tests if they suspect impairment, but a pre-arrest breath test is usually not mandatory for a typical adult driver. The mandatory test comes after arrest, not before.

1 articles · Updated · Bakersfield Now · Jun 15

Three drivers were arrested on suspicion of DUI after Bakersfield police screened 1,318 vehicles during a Friday night checkpoint on Stockdale Highway.
Seven motorists were pulled aside for further sobriety evaluation, leading to the three DUI arrests during the 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. operation in the 4500 block.
Twenty-eight drivers were cited for license violations — six for driving on a suspended license and 22 for driving unlicensed.
Fifteen vehicles were impounded, and police urged the public to call 911 to report suspected impaired drivers.