Practice Goals
Sobriety checkpoints are police operations that aim to reduce the number of alcohol-related car crashes by preventing people from driving under the influence of alcohol and other substances. Driving under the influence (DUI) is prevented by increasing the perceived and actual risk of detection and apprehension by the police.
Practice Components
Sobriety checkpoints (also called DUI checkpoints) typically involve a number of police vehicles stationed at the side of the road, with police officers pulling vehicles over and testing drivers for illegal levels of substance use (most commonly alcohol). These interventions occur in public settings and may also include a publicity component, which would advertise when checkpoint enforcement will be in effect.Jurisdictions in the United States may implement these interventions in different ways; for example, the criteria for stopping and testing drivers may differ. Some sobriety checkpoint interventions may include mandatory testing of all drivers, others may test only drivers suspected of being intoxicated, and still others may conduct random testing.
Sobriety check points may also differ in terms of intensity of enforcement and the penalties for drivers found to be driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances. The testing methods or procedures may also vary by jurisdiction, but all involve obtaining a measure of the driver’s blood alcohol concentration. Some interventions may be a permanent fixture of a jurisdiction’s policing of DUI laws, whereas others may be part of an occasional or seasonal campaign or part of a wide enforcement It is important to note that the practice of sobriety checkpoints requires pre-existing legislation that allows for drivers to be pulled over without suspicion. The implementation of sobriety checkpoints, while constitutional in the United States, varies throughout the country due to state laws and safeguards related to discrimination and unreasonable search and seizure (Erke, Goldenbeld, and Vaa 2009; Fell et al. 2005).
Practice Theory
The practice of sobriety checkpoints is based on two perspectives: 1) enforcement, and 2) deterrence. The first is concerned with apprehending individuals who drive under the influence; the second focuses on deterring would-be DUI offenders from driving. Having sobriety checkpoints in place assumes that those driving while under the influence of alcohol or other substance are being apprehended and that would-be offenders believe that they are at greater risk of apprehension, thus leading to a reduction in both the number of DUI drivers on the roads and the number of car crashes in a jurisdiction.
