Do DUI Checkpoints Make Georgia Drivers Safer?

While distracted driving is increasingly drawing attention from federal motor vehicle safety regulators, the scourge of drunk driving remains a serious threat to those using Georgia streets and highways. Alcohol impaired drivers continue to account for almost a third of all motor vehicle accident related fatalities. While stricter laws and tougher enforcement of Georgia drunk driving prohibitions have provided some improvement, there are still many families that have their lives turned upside down when a family member suffers life-altering injuries or wrongful death.

Sobriety checkpoints (aka DUI checkpoints) are a controversial weapon in the battle to discourage and prevent drunk driving in Georgia. For some DUI checkpoint advocates, DUI checkpoints provide a law enforcement tool that is used increasingly to reduce the risk of Georgia drunk driving accidents.

Those who criticize DUI checkpoints suggest that they are a costly and ineffective means of enforcing laws that prohibit drunk driving. Those who take this position point to evidence that the number of DUI arrests at DUI checkpoints is fairly low. The claim is that given the limited resources of local governments DUI sobriety checkpoints provide an inefficient use of resources. However, many DUI safety organizations argue that the effectiveness of sobriety of checkpoints is best measured in terms of deterrent impact as opposed to actual arrests. According to this view, drivers who are aware of the possibility of being caught in a Georgia DUI checkpoint are more inclined to make arrangements for alternative transportation or a designated driver.

The other fallacy in the contention that DUI checkpoint effectiveness should be measured in light of the number of DUI checkpoint arrests is based on the method of analysis. The percentage of drivers arrested at driver through DUI checkpoints is fairly low (below 2 percent), but when measured in absolute numerical terms, tens of thousands of drunk drivers are caught across the country meaning that thousands of drunk driving accidents may be prevented. DUI checkpoints also result in a significant number of drivers with no license or a suspended license being forced off the road. Many people driving without a license or on a suspended license may have had their license revoked or suspended for past drunk driving or other forms of unsafe driving.

Because drunk drivers kill more than ten thousand people per year, we support law enforcement and policymaker attempts to protect drivers, bicyclists, motorcycle riders, passengers and pedestrians by implementing aggressive measures to prevent drunk driving. If you or someone you love is injured or a loved one dies in a collision while intoxicated, our experienced Atlanta drunk driving accident attorneys may be able to represent you in obtaining compensation for your injuries or loss.

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If you or a loved one is injured in a car crash, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Our Atlanta car accident attorneys at Montlick and Associates have been representing those who suffer serious injuries throughout all of Georgia and in the Southeast for over thirty years, including but not limited to all smaller cities and rural areas in the state.

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