San Mateo drivers heading through the S. Norfolk Street and Shoreview Avenue area Friday night should expect delays. The San Mateo Police Department will run a DUI checkpoint there from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Aug. 21.

The department chose the location based on crash data involving impaired drivers, according to a city media release issued Wednesday, Aug. 19. The S. Norfolk corridor is familiar territory for SMPD enforcement: the department ran a checkpoint at S. Norfolk and La Selva Street in May and another at S. Norfolk and Shoreview in March 2025.

A first-time DUI conviction is expensive. The average runs $13,500 in fines and penalties plus a suspended license, the department said.

The release also reminded drivers that impairment isn't limited to alcohol. Prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and marijuana can all trigger a DUI charge, even though recreational cannabis is legal in California.

"Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk, as well as themselves," Sgt. Nick Ryan said in a January announcement of a separate checkpoint at Barneson Avenue and Alameda de las Pulgas under the same program. "Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improves traffic safety."

Nationally, more than 10,000 people die each year in crashes involving drunk drivers, according to the release.

The checkpoint is funded through a $200,000 grant the department received from the California Office of Traffic Safety in November 2025. That grant runs through September 2026 and also supports distracted-driving enforcement, pedestrian and bicycle safety operations and Drug Recognition Expert training for officers.

Residents with questions can contact SMPD public information officer Andrew Peek at 650-522-7626 or [email protected].