Posts Tagged ‘sobriety checkpoints’

Nothing Scary about Checkpoints

Posted: October 29, 2009 in Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving
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As you may well know by now, Halloween is on a Saturday and this causes MADD to pause with some concern.  Law Enforcement will be on their toes and that includes Lincoln Police Department as the will hold sobriety checkpoints across Lincoln. http://www.1011now.com/home/headlines/67090522.html

gfxThere is nothing scary about the checkpoints unless you are driving impaired, under suspension, have an outstanding warrant, etc. For our readers I just wanted to outline the basics of sobriety checkpoints:

  • What is a sobriety checkpoint?
  • In a sobriety checkpoint, law enforcement officials set up clearly visible checkpoints at certain points on the road where typically high rates of drunk driving crashes occur. Vehicles are stopped in a specific sequence, such as every other vehicle. Police evaluate the driver for signs of impairment, and if they suspect the driver is intoxicated, the driver must take a breathalyzer test. If drivers’ BAC measure the illegal limit of .08 or higher, they will be arrested immediately. Checkpoints deter drunk driving and save lives.
  • How effective are sobriety checkpoints?
  • Sobriety checkpoints work. Research shows that highly publicized, highly visible and frequent sobriety checkpoints reduce fatal drunk driving crashes by an average of 24 percent. MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving supports this crackdown using sobriety checkpoints to stop drunk drivers, and ultimately deter drunk driving.buzzedlogo
  • Aren’t sobriety checkpoints unfair to safe drivers?
  • The public doesn’t think so. Public opinion survey data indicates that virtually all (87 percent) of Americans support sobriety checkpoints to find and arrest drunk drivers.
  • How do Americans feel about tougher enforcement?
  • An overwhelming number of Americans agree that drunk driving must be eliminated and that strong law enforcement is the solution. The public demands action. Support for sobriety checkpoints has increased from 79 percent in 1993 to 87 percent in 2005. Americans view drunk driving as one of the greatest threats to themselves and their families on the roads. They fully support efforts to decrease this crime.
  • What is the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving? MADDLOG2
  • MADD launched the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving in November 2006, to revitalize national efforts to combat drunk driving and raise the fight to a new, unprecedented level. The Campaign calls for high-visibility law enforcement, mandatory ignition interlock for all convicted drunk drivers, the development of advanced vehicle-based technology to detect and stop drunk drivers, and mobilization of community support. The Campaign is working you can support a nation without drunk driving! http://www.madd.org/Drunk-Driving/Drunk-Driving/Campaign-to-Eliminate-Drunk-Driving.aspx

Wishing everyone a Great Saturday!The%20Great%20Pumpkin%20Patch

Simera Reynolds

State Executive Director