Carlsbad police will set up a DUI checkpoint Friday, Sept. 4, stopping drivers at an undisclosed location between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m.

The department chose the location based on data showing where impaired-driving crashes have occurred, according to a city press release posted Tuesday, Sept. 1.

"Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk," Sgt. Conrad Page-DeMorst, the department's traffic special events sergeant, said in the announcement. "Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improve traffic safety."

A first-time DUI conviction carries an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties plus a suspended license, the department said.

The checkpoint is part of a recurring program funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The department ran a similar operation Friday, June 12, under the same grant, also running 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. at an undisclosed location.

DUI enforcement has kept Carlsbad officers busy. The department made 113 DUI arrests in the first three months of 2026, including 73 officer-initiated stops, 22 tied to collisions and 18 from dispatched calls, according to the department's quarterly report.

That first-quarter total topped every individual quarter in 2024, when the department recorded 365 DUI arrests for the full year. The quarterly breakdown: 112 in the first quarter, 106 in the second, 81 in the third and 66 in the fourth. Arrests fell steadily through 2024 before climbing back above the 112 mark to start 2026.

The department also warned that impairment extends beyond alcohol. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs can interfere with driving. Marijuana use is legal in California, but driving under its influence is not.

Residents can call 911 to report a suspected impaired driver.