Sobriety checkpoints are an enforcement program that allows officers to stop all or predetermined vehicles to check for sobriety of the drivers. Learn more about sobriety checkpoints.

Overview

Sobriety checkpoints are a law enforcement technique where law enforcement officials evaluate drivers for signs of alcohol or drug impairment. Vehicles are stopped in a specific sequence (e.g., every other vehicle or every fourth vehicle). This may create a minor inconvenience for drivers, but the Supreme Court ruled (in Michigan v. Sitz) that sobriety checkpoints are constitutional because this small inconvenience was overwhelmed by a compelling state interest in saving lives.

Right now, only one arrest is made for every 88 episodes of driving over the illegal limit. (Zador, 1997) Thus, having concentrated enforcement can help apprehend drunk drivers and deter those who hear about the checkpoints from driving under the influence.  The Centers for Disease Control studied sobriety checkpoints and found that they can reduce alcohol-related crashes and fatalities by 20 percent. (CDC, 2001)

They are an integral and necessary part of anti-drunk driving enforcement and deserve our support.

Take Action!

Even though the US Supreme Court said sobriety checkpoints are constitutional, ten states still do not allow them:  Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.  If you are from one of these states, e-mail your legislators and urge them to authorize and conduct sobriety checkpoints in your state.

Related Issues

• Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving - high visibility law enforcement 

Resources

• Official Position Statement
• Studies
  • CDC Community Guide.  "Effectiveness of Sobriety Checkpoints for Preventing Alcohol-Involved Crashes," 2001. 
  • Elder, Randy, et al. "Effectiveness of Sobriety Checkpoints for Reducing Alcohol-Involved Crashes." Traffic Injury Prevention (2002): 266-274.
  • Lacey, John, Ralph Jones, and Randall Smith. "Evaluation of Checkpoint Tennessee: Tennessee's Statewide Sobriety Checkpoint Program," DOT HS 808 641.  Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1999.
  • Miller, Ted, M.S. Galbraith and B.A. Lawrence. "Costs and Benefits of a Community Sobriety Checkpoint Program." Journal of Studies on Alcohol 59 (1998): 462–468. 
  • Shults, Ruth, et al.  "Reviews of Evidence Regarding Interventions to Reduce Alcohol-Impaired Driving."  American Journal of Preventive Medicine 21(4S) (2001): 66-88.
  • Stuster, Jack and Paul Blowers. "Experimental Evaluation of Sobriety Checkpoint Programs." DOT HS 808 287.  Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, 1995. 
  • Zador, Paul, Sheila Krawchuk, and B. Moore, "Drinking and Driving Trips, Stops by Police, and Arrests: Analysis of the 1995 National Survey of Drinking and Driving Attitudes and Behavior," Rockville, MD: Estat, Inc, 1997. 
• Other Resources
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  "Saturation Patrols and Sobriety Checkpoints Guide: A How-To Guide for Planning and Publicizing Impaired Driving Mobilizations."  Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. October 2002. 

 

 

 

 

States with this law
Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia