Beverage Institute to police: Forgo Labor Day DUI checkpoints

August 30, 2012, The Hill

The trade group for restaurants that serve alcohol said Thursday police should not set up roadblocks to check for drunken drivers over the coming Labor Day holiday weekend. 

Instead, the American Beverage Institute said, police should conduct their regular patrols to catch drivers who have had too many. 

“Sobriety checkpoints have been proven ineffective at stopping drunk drivers,” ABI Managing Director Sarah Longwell said in a statement. “Roadblocks target moderate drinkers instead of the root cause of today’s drunk driving problem — hard core alcohol abusers. Roving patrols can target drunk drivers as well as distracted, speeding, and drowsy drivers.”

The ABI said that because roadblocks are usually advertised in advance, they are easier for hardcore drunken drivers to avoid. 

“Having a beer at a baseball game or a glass of sangria at an end-of-summer barbeque is perfectly safe and legal,” Longwell said. “Police tactics should focus on stopping dangerous drunk drivers, not responsible drinkers.”

The AAA auto club said this week that it expects 33 million people to travel over the Labor Day weekend. The group has encouraged drivers to pick a designated driver for holiday celebrations.