CAMPAIGN INITIATIVES
More High-Visibility Law Enforcement
Well-publicized sobriety checkpoints send a message to drivers that if they drink and drive, they will get caught. Yet, in recent years, as law enforcement funding has been reduced, some states have sought to limit or eliminate sobriety checkpoints. In Missouri, for example, funding for checkpoints was slashed to $1 in 2017 in favor of saturation patrols. Legislators argued that checkpoints were ineffective because their locations are shared on social media. While checkpoints are in place to remove drunk drivers from the roads, their deterrent value should not be underestimated. Studies show that sobriety checkpoints reduce drunk driving crashes by 20 percent. This is accomplished by making drivers think twice about drinking and driving, and by catching those who make the dangerous choice before they harm others. At a time when drunk driving fatalities are on the rise, sobriety checkpoints remain an essential countermeasure. Law enforcement should have every tool available to keep dangerous drunk drivers from wrecking the lives of others. MADD vigorously opposes any efforts to reduce or eliminate sobriety checkpoints. These, along with saturation patrols, are the most effective tools to help law enforcement immediately get drunk drivers off the road.
MADD joins the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration every year for the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign during two of the most deadly times of the year on our nation’s roadways — in mid-August, leading up to Labor Day weekend, and in mid-December through New Year’s Day. These initiatives publicize and support law enforcement efforts to keep roads safe during periods of increased traffic and holiday celebrations.
AT A TIME WHEN DRUNK DRIVING
FATALITIES ARE ON THE RISE, SOBRIETY CHECKPOINTS REMAIN AN ESSENTIAL COUNTERMEASURE.
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