Sobriety Checkpoints

The reason we have sobriety checkpoints is to reduce the number of drunk drivers on our roads thereby diminishing the suffering and death that often results from drunk drivers. In fact, 50% of Americans will be involved in alcohol-involved traffic accidents in their lifetime. One American life is lost every 22 minutes in an alcohol related traffic accident.

How Do Sobriety Checkpoints Work?

Sobriety checkpoints involve law enforcement officials stopping vehicles on a public road and investigating whether the driver might be impaired or intoxicated. The number of drivers found to be intoxicated is generally found to be highest at night or very early morning therefore the sobriety checkpoints are primarily conducted during those hours. Once stopped, police officers can test drivers with a portable alcohol breath, going through cars much like a conveyor belt. If the officers are not equipped with a quick test, a more complex routine is required.

Roadside Sobriety Tests

If a person is found to be suspicious of drunk driving during a sobriety checkpoint, the driver is required to exit the vehicle and take a roadside sobriety test, which generally requires mental and balance skills. If the officer determines that the person has not passed the test, the driver is then required to take an alcohol breath test, more commonly known at a breathalyzer test. Drivers may be tested without probable cause, but if a person refuses, a police officer may consider the refusal a reason to arrest and conduct more involved tests.

Arrested for DUI

If a person is arrested for DUI and their blood alcohol level is .08 percent, their driver’s license will be taken away by the arresting officer. A DUI conviction could cost $7,000 or more in storage fees, jail costs, fines, DUI education, attorney fees and an increase in vehicle insurance. On a first conviction a person can serve 96 hours to six months in jail. When released, they will serve three to five years of probation.

Certainly, hiring a qualified DUI attorney is your most important decision if you have been stopped at a sobriety checkpoint. The DUI attorney’s at www.straightdui.com are experts when it comes to all the intricacies involved in DUI offenses and will take you through all the steps required. A qualified DUI attorney knows the law; contact us today if you have been stopped at a sobriety checkpoint and arrested on a DUI charge.