Sobriety Checkpoints
Sobriety Checkpoints
The increasing menace of drunken driving is crippling the road
traffic system in every part of the world. As a result
authorities have started scouring the roads for erring drivers
with a high content of alcohol. Of late, police are using
repeated road blocks or checkpoints to check the drivers for
alcohol. Also called sobriety checkpoints, these measures really
work wonders for police personnel. More commonly, law
enforcement personnel set up check points to check the safety of
the vehicles and to inspect driving records. If the driver is
found to have a slurred speech or if he/she is emanating a
breath full of alcohol, then he/she is made to get out of the
car and forced to take a sobriety test.
With the Supreme Court's express judgment of 1990, the
constitutional validity of DUI roadblocks and checkpoint was
upheld, though with some restrictive clauses. All officers in
question are asked to conduct such checkpoints without intruding
in the privacy of the drivers. However, if the driver is found
to be inundated with alcohol, then the officer has all the
liberty to conduct an alcohol test.
To enforce the good intentions of the DUI checkpoints, a
''Sobriety Checkpoint Advisory Committee'' was appointed to
establish guidelines and regulations; this committee consisted
of representatives of the state police, local police,
prosecutors, and the University of Michigan Transportation
Research Institute. However, there is still much confusion in
seeking answers for the suggested guidelines. There are still no
defined answers as to what constitutes "guidelines". However
this kind of checkpoint has enabled enforcement authorities to
bring a semblance of correctness into the society. But, this
kind of intrusive checks has its own flaws and disadvantages
like breach of privacy, unintentional arrests and unfavorable
advantage to the enforcement authority.
Author recommends http://www.evisibility.com for further
Information