I'm on my way home from Lowe's around 8:30 pm and I could see in the distance the blinking lights of a patrol car. It must be pretty bad I thought with the orange barrels. On the passenger side a orange sign read be prepared to stop. Huh? A few feet on the driver's side another orange sign read Have your driver's license ready. Several vehicles did u-turns and that's when it dawned on me it was a checkpoint for a sobriety test. My first ever. It was nothing like I have seen on TV. This nice officer introduced himself and purpose and asked me for my DL; looked at it; asked for my birthday then handed it back to me. I had my proof of insurance ready, moistened my lips with ready to take a breath tests though I don't drink I just expected it to happen. I guess he saw my big bag of pretzels opened next to me .
I did ask him, never got an answer though. Another officer came up beside him when I was taking the shot, hence his profile.
They have those license checkpoint fairly often between my house and town. It's in a spot that you can't see the cars before you are almost upon it. I have seen people make a quick turn and go the other way. That's a sure giveaway that they are drinking or in some kind of violation of the law. There are several officers at the checkpoint and they take off after the turnarounders.
I've only been stopped once at a checkpoint, but it was more like a road block. They were looking for a "suspect" in some crime. It was here in Georgia, way out in the country. They didn't check the trunk.
Nope, it was on I90 (I think) outside Cleveland. They said it was a sobriety checkpoint, and they diverted the entire interstate though a checkpoint in a rest stop. It was quick, license and alcohol check (just by sniffing the open car window) and then on the way. It took less than a minute or so or most to go through. There were not yet emissions checks then. It was some time ago.
In Spain at the beginning of this month, they did a week solid random check for drivers )drugs and alcohol)...shockingly in just a week they charged 190,00 drivers over the drink drive limit, and about half of that again.. with opiates in their system!!
@Don Alaska, those checkpoints are usually setup in different locations around the city and during the week/end of an upcoming holiday. @Holly Saunders raising awareness in progress.
Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital Be Safe: Prevent Motor Vehicle Accidents: Eliminate drinking and driving MYTH: Anyone can measure their blood alcohol content (BAC) by the number of alcoholic beverages they have drunk/consumed. FALSE: The measure of BAC will change based on the height, weight, and gender of the drinker, how fast the person drinks the alcohol, how fast the drinker’s body absorbs the alcohol, the food in the person’s stomach, and the type of alcohol consumed. MYTH: Eating a big meal before drinking will keep you sober. FALSE: Drinking on a full stomach will only delay the absorption of alcohol into the body, not prevent it. Time is the only way to reduce BAC in the body. Be Safe and enjoy the 4th of July!!