1. Why do the police use checkpoints?

Sobriety checkpoints are a proven way to catch drunken drivers and get them off the roads. Also, checkpoints reduce drunken driving because people fear they'll be caught when police are out in force.

2. How do checkpoints deter drunken drivers?

People tend to change their driving habits when they know a checkpoint is being held in their area. They use a designated driver and other safe alternatives like public transportation rather than getting behind the wheel after drinking.

3. How significant a problem is drunken driving?

Drunken driving is a major social problem in America. It is completely preventable. In 1998, 15, 935 people were killed, nearly one million injured, and one million cars crashed because of drunken driving.

4. Do checkpoints curb drunken drivers?

Yes! When well publicized, checkpoints reduce the number of drinkers on the roads. A checkpoint program in Binghamton, New York, showed a 39-percent decrease in drinking drivers. In New Jersey, checkpoints were credited with 10-percent to 15-percent drop in singe-vehicle crashes at night.

5. Do any states use checkpoints intensively?

During the intensive "Booze It & Lose It" anti-drunken driving campaign in North Carolina, law enforcement agencies across the state held 1,233 checkpoints and 3,858 people were charged with drunken driving. There have been similar programs in Ohio and Tennessee.

6. Aren't checkpoints an inconvenient bother for motorists?

Well-planned checkpoints may delay motorists about as long as a stop at a traffic signal. Should traffic back up, police stop the checks until the congestion is cleared and then continue. In a survey, 79% of the public supported checkpoints to reduce drunken driving.

7. How can the expense of checkpoints be justified in tight police budgets?

Drunken driving prevention is an important and effective role for law enforcement in reducing injuries and saving lives. Cooperation among local, county, and state police agencies helps spread the costs for equipment and personnel over several jurisdictions.

8. How does drunken driving affect our society?

Economic costs of alcohol-related crashes are estimated to be $45 billion yearly.

9. Are checkpoints legal?

Properly conducted checkpoints are not an illegal search and seizure. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld their constitutionality in 1990. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia conduct checkpoints.

10. What other police and safety groups support the use of checkpoints?

Operation C.A.R.E., the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Sheriffs' Association favor them. Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, Remove Intoxicated Drivers, and Students against Destructive Decisions promote checkpoints. Private groups that advocate increased use of checkpoints include the National Safety Council, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the National Commission Against Drunk Driving.