DUI Checkpoints and Auto Accident Prevention

Read the blog from Frank Penney Injury Lawyers in Roseville, CA below.

DUI checkpoints were first initiated for one reason, to prevent death and/or injury by an alcohol-impaired driver. In California, these traffic stops are funded by the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) in an effort to save lives and prevent alcohol-related auto accidents. While 12 states view checkpoints as unconstitutional, 38 states, including California, set up checkpoints on a regular basis.

Benefits of DUI Checkpoints

In 2011, there were 774 drunk driving deaths in California, down from 950 in 2009. A great effort has been made by the OTS and the National Highway Traffic Administration to reduce these numbers. One such effort is setting up DUI checkpoints.

While the efficiency of these traffic stops is still questionable to many, it is clear that they do provide several benefits:

• One on one conversation/interaction between police and driver allows police to better identify drunk drivers
• Can also reveal drivers that who are driving with a suspended or restricted license
• Can find drivers that are breaking parole violations
• Can deter impaired drivers from driving altogether because of the risk involved in being stopped and arrested
• Leading to arrests of illegal aliens and unlicensed drivers
  

DUI checkpoints are set up strategically, near bars and clubs, and on heavy drinking holidays such as Labor Day. The OTS conducted 2,530 checkpoints in 2010, which is up from 1,740 in 2009. In addition, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has found that the number of alcohol-related auto accidents is down 20% in states that implement sobriety checkpoints.

Do DUI checkpoints prevent Auto Accidents?

Some argue that police resources (and money) are better spent patrolling the streets in active search of the drunk drivers who may be potentially avoiding heavily policed areas. The effectiveness of checkpoints is often in question because:

• They are more avoidable by drivers than random scouting and patrol
• Social media and mobile applications share where checkpoints are located, making them easy to avoid
• The cost associated with running them

Regardless of whether or not they are proven effective, Sacramento auto accident attorney Frank Penney believes that precautionary measures do save lives. Unfortunately, intoxicated drivers do claim lives or cause injury to others. If you have been affected by a drunk driving incident, you need auto accident attorney Frank Penney because he will fight for your rights.