Uptick In Number of Sobriety Checkpoints In Georgia, Notes Brunswick Personal Injury Lawyer

Brunswick, GA (Law Firm Newswire) December 13, 2012 – The upcoming holiday season means more sobriety checkpoints throughout Georgia.

According to Spencer Moore, the Deputy Director for the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, roadblocks have become an essential part of Georgia’s highway safety program. Moore stated that checkpoints have been an effective tool to deter impaired drivers and to raise public awareness. Officers are using the roadblocks to stop and apprehend drivers they believe are driving inebriated. The National Motorists Association contests the use of roadblocks, arguing that many roadblocks constitute unlawful search and seizure and violate the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment.

Roadblocks, also known as “sobriety checkpoints” or “DUI checkpoints,” are locations on public roads where law enforcement officers have stationed themselves to stop drivers. They check drivers, either every driver that passes or by using a specific pattern to stop only certain cars.

“The checkpoints are usually set up at night or during the early morning when statistically there will be the highest percentage of drunk drivers on the road,” said Brunswick personal injury lawyer Nathan Williams.

There have been as many as 80,000 Georgia roadblocks utilized in the past four years. There is currently no system with which to measure if the roadblocks have deterred drunk driving in that time, or what effect they have on DUI arrests in the state. DUI arrest numbers are not reported in categories, so there is no way to know how many were made on the road and how many were made specifically at roadblock locations.

The stated goal of sobriety checkpoints is drunk driving deterrence. But not all states use sobriety checkpoints, as their legality continues to be contested. In some states, sobriety checkpoints are considered unconstitutional. While 38 states and the District of Columbia currently conduct sobriety checkpoints, they are not allowed in other states, including Alaska, Texas, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Nathan Williams is a Brunswick personal injury lawyer, Brunswick divorce attorney, Brunswick criminal defense attorney and Brunswick DUI lawyer in Southeast Georgia. Visit http://www.thewilliamslitigationgroup.com or call 1.912.264.0848.

The Williams Litigation Group
5 St. Andrews Court
Brunswick, GA 31520
Phone: 912.264.0848
Toll Free: 877.307.4537
Fax: 912-264-6299

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