And the Fresno division of the CHP made one less drunken driving arrest last night.
Police who worked the checkpoint here say not many people were out last night. And foggy conditions closed the checkpoint down early but, still police made about the same amount of arrests as in years past.
Fresno police began their night extra early New Years Eve, and word spread quickly about their enforcement.
Text messages and networking websites warned drivers of locations where police were holding checkpoints.
Officers say drivers they took into custody averaged a .15 blood alcohol content, nearly twice the legal limit.
Eric Eide, Fresno Police Department, says "The 16 DUI's that we did arrest, people were snockered. They were passed out drunk in front of their cars; they were combative when we were taking blood from some of them. Lot of them were banged up from fighting with other people."
Though arrest numbers hovered around the same as last year, police say they do believe their message is resonating with many who are out celebrating.
"My impression is that public awareness is much higher. We saw an enormous number of taxi cabs everywhere last night, limos everywhere," says Officer Eide.
Police say even though knowledge of the checkpoint location may have prompted some drivers to avoid the area, officers watching bars and roaming streets means you don't have to pass through one of these to get caught.
In fact, police say there's a greater chance you'll get arrested by a patrol officer on the street than through a checkpoint.
Police say the good news is there were no DUI related fatalities in the Fresno area. But Tuesday afternoon there was a DUI crash off of Weber and Brawley.
Police say a 17 year old driver who had been drinking, hit and injured and elderly woman.
