PRO

Drinking and driving is a serious problem and sobriety checkpoints can be a useful tool for law enforcement to respond. However, the issue with sobriety checkpoints is when police stop motorists randomly, with no reasonable suspision of a specific individual, it clashes with the Fourth Amendment to the constitution.

A U.S. Supreme Court case upheld that sobriety checkpoints are constitional because the violation of citizens privacy is slight compared to the damage from drunk driving, but the Supreme Court recognized there had to be a balance between citizens sacrificing their right to privacy for protection and citizens at risk because of our country’s abhorrent drinking and driving problem.

The most recent guidelines for how sobriety checkpoints should be conducted by police departments, given by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, state that alerting the public of the checkpoint information is essential, “To obtain maximum benefit in terms of its general deterrent effect, low-staffing sobriety checkpoints should be publicized aggressively.”

If police departments are directed to aggressively publicize checkpoints, my question is, how can sobriety checkpoint alerts on social media and phone applications be immoral?

The “deterrent effect” is when people decide against driving intoxicated all together because they are aware of the checkpoints and police on duty.

This angle is better than hoping to surprise drunk drivers because it reminds drivers that police will be active, looking for intoxicated drivers and it will deter some from drinking and driving.

Another important reason why sobriety checkpoints should be publicized is because people have the right to know.

As taxpayers we need to know where our money is going, and if it’s contributing to checkpoints than we should be knowledgable about these things. This means knowing when and where any kind of roadblock is located.

There are many reasons why someone wouldn’t want to drive through a sobriety checkpoint, especially a law abiding citizen.

If they want to avoid the checkpoint, it doesn’t mean they are supportive of drinking and driving. These people who use checkpoint alerts shouldnt be discredited, they are only excercising their rights.

Until official sources, like the police department, begin to publicize sobriety checkpoints aggressively, citizens will be forced to depend on other citizens for information on our public roads and resources.