This article describes the work of police-run sobriety checkpoints in the USA. Police culture has seen this activity as being labour-intensive but the article points out that a checkpoint can be conducted by as few as three police officers. These smaller operations yield results both in terms of a reduction in the percentage of drinking drivers and in picking up other offenders, not necessarily for vehicle offences. The goal of the checkpoint is deterrence rather than arrest and they have been found to have an effect on drivers' perception of the likelihood of conviction. Using passive sensors to indicate the presence of alcohol in the air of a vehicle's occupant compartment has increased the effectiveness of the work. The effect of checkpoints has been to reduce the amount of drink-related fatal accidents.
Abstract