The sobriety checkpoint in Prince William County this Memorial Day weekend serves to funnel limited state and federal grant money away from measures that have proven to be most effective in combating drunk driving (“Police: DUI checkpoints in place this weekend,” May 23).
Because they are highly visible by design and publicized in advance, roadblocks are all too easily avoided by the chronic alcohol abusers who comprise the core of today’s drunk driving problem.
Conversely, the number of DUI arrests made by roving patrol programs is nearly 10 times the average number of DUIs made by checkpoint programs, according to testimony by a Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation official.
By focusing scarce law enforcement resources on roadblocks, the Prince William County Police Department will strip Virginia’s roadways of their most valuable tool for catching drunk drivers. Prince
William County residents and taxpayers would benefit from employing the most effective tactics to catch drunk drivers: roving police patrols.
SARAH LONGWELL
Managing Director
American Beverage Institute
Washington, D.C.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement