San Rafael police screened 570 vehicles at a DUI checkpoint Sept. 26 and made no arrests for impaired driving.

Instead, nearly every citation went to drivers without a valid license. Officers issued 14 citations total: 13 for driving without a license and one for driving on a suspended license, the San Rafael Police Department said in a press release posted Thursday, Oct. 1.

The checkpoint ran from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at Lincoln Avenue and Grand Avenue. Of the 570 vehicles that passed through, officers pulled 31 aside for further investigation. Four drivers performed field sobriety tests, but none resulted in a DUI arrest.

The department said checkpoint locations are chosen based on reported incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The stated purpose is to take suspected impaired drivers off the road.

Earlier checkpoint comparison

The results mirror an earlier SRPD checkpoint held Friday, April 24, at Grand Avenue and Francisco Boulevard East. That operation screened 980 vehicles and produced 24 citations for unlicensed driving, one for a suspended license, nine for moving violations and one vehicle impound. Five drivers underwent DUI investigations at the April checkpoint, and all tested below the legal blood-alcohol limit of 0.08%.

Across both checkpoints, officers screened 1,550 vehicles and issued 37 citations for unlicensed driving. Neither operation produced a DUI arrest.

Grant funding

The Sept. 26 checkpoint was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The Marin Independent Journal also reported the checkpoint results. The department has not announced a date for its next checkpoint.

Residents who want to report a suspected impaired driver can call 911.