Palm Springs setting up DUI checkpoint tonight

The Palm Springs Police Department is planning to conduct an impaired driving and driver’s license checkpoint tonight.

The checkpoint is planned for “an undisclosed location within the city limits” between 8 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday, police said.

Checkpoints are placed in locations with high levels of collisions and DUI arrests, the police department said. Officers will be checking for proper licensing, alcohol impairment and drug impairment — including marijuana and prescription drugs.

“If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI,” police said. “Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.”

The average cost of a DUI arrest is as much as $13,500, including fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses, the police department warned.

Funding for the checkpoint is provided to the Palm Springs Police Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.