The Boone County Sheriff’s Department has plans to hold a sobriety checkpoint through April 8 in an effort to eliminate drunk drivers on the road.

The checkpoint will take place from late evening until the early hours of the next day, and law enforcement expects it will cause minimum delay for law-abiding drivers, according to a news release.

This will be the second checkpoint the department has held in the past two weeks, according to the news release. The last safety checkpoint took place March 28 between Obermiller and Roemer roads. The purpose of the safety checkpoint was to identify and cite unlicensed drivers and uninsured drivers. The checkpoint also looked for improperly used child restraints, seat belts and other visible safety violations.

Approximately 246 vehicles were stopped at the safety checkpoint. Two citations for driving with a suspended or revoked license, 16 citations for no insurance, six citations for seatbelt violations, one misdemeanor warrant arrest and two citations for non-hazardous moving violations were given, according to the news release.

The checkpoints are funded by a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation Division of Highway Safety. The grant funds at least five checkpoints a year, Boone County Sheriff’s Department deputy Nikki Antimi said.

The department usually does between six and 10 sobriety checkpoints per year and a couple of safety checkpoints. Everyone who goes through the checkpoints is stopped, Antimi said.

The department has performed checkpoints for several years now. Antimi said it might seem that the number has increased, but the amount of checkpoints has stayed steady.

Safety checkpoints typically take place during the day and in areas that are more likely to have uninsured or unlicensed drivers. Sobriety checkpoints take place at night and in locations that have had drinking and driving complaints and violations, Antimi said.

“The number of fatal crashes has been reduced in the past several years,” Antimi said.