Sobriety checkpoints
The sobriety checkpoints that took place in Lancaster and York counties over the Fourth of July weekend served to funnel limited state and federal grant money away from measures that have proven to be most effective in combating drunk driving ("Sobriety checkpoints being held this holiday weekend," July 2).
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.
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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 police will strip Pennsylvania's roadways of their most valuable tool for catching drunk drivers. Lancaster and York 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, DC
Mark Foreman · July 10, 2008 7:34 AM
The most effective way to drunk drivers is not to serve them until they are so impaired.