Focus resources on drunk drivers
Re “CHP ups patrols for the holiday,” Nov. 28
The sobriety checkpoints that took place in California over Thanksgiving weekend served to funnel limited state and federal grant money away from measures that have proved to be most effective in combating drunk driving. Because they are highly visible by design and publicized in advance, roadblocks are all too easily avoided by the chronic alcohol abusers who make up the core of today’s drunk-driving problem. Conversely, the number of driving-under-the-influence arrests made by roving patrol programs is nearly 10 times the average number of DUIs made by checkpoint programs, according to testimony by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation official.
By focusing scarce law enforcement resources on roadblocks, the California Highway Patrol will strip the state’s roadways of its most valuable tool for catching drunk drivers. California residents and taxpayers would benefit from employing the most effective tactics to catch drunk drivers: roving police patrols.
Sarah Longwell
Washington
The writer is the managing director of the American Beverage Institute.
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