Pittsburgh Police Plan Weekend DUI Patrols

Posted by Gerald B. McNamara on July 29, 2011

Pittsburgh Police have anounced plans to conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving DUI patrols over this weekend, July 29-31.  The patrols will be concentrated in the West End and South Hills areas of the city.

As always, the best ways to avoid a sobriety checkpoint or a roving DUI patrol are: (1) Do not drink and drive; (2) Use a designated driver if you plan on drinking; (3) Call a cab, friend or relative to come pick you up.  These are all much better options than being arrested for DUI and facing fines, mandatory license suspensions, mandatory jail time, increased insurance rates, etc. 

If you need to go back to the South Side, the Strip District, Oakland, or wherever, to get your car the following morning, it is better to do that without the DUI arrest hanging over your head.  You're probably going to have a hangover no matter what, but your hangover is going to be a lot worse if you also got arrested for DUI the night before.

Text Alerts for Sobriety Checkpoints

Posted by Gerald B. McNamara on September 30, 2010

A company is offering text alerts for sobriety checkpoints in the northestern counties of Pennsylvania.  PennDOT and local police are supportive of the service because public awareness is one of the goals of sobriety checkpoints.  More than 8,000 people signed up for the text alerts over the Labor Day weekend.

There are many such companies offering a similar service springing up all over the country.  Most of these companies state on their website that their reason for texting the location of sobriety checkpoints is for the purpose of deterring people who have been drinking from getting in their cars and driving while under the influence.  While this is an admirable goal, you cannot help but think that some people are going to use the information to try to avoid checkpoints. 

I have also heard local radio broadcasts on weekend evenings in which motorists call in and advise the DJ about the location of checkpoints.  If you have signed up for these text messages, or if you hear about a checkpoint on your radio and your goal is to avoid the checkpoint, you probably better hope it is the real checkpoint and not a "Phantom sobriety checkpoint."  Phantom sobriety checkpoints are just that; they are made to look like police are setting up a sobriety checkpoint, and they come complete with flashing lights and police officers.  However, in reality, it is not the true location of the checkpoint.  So, if the information that you have causes you to avoid the phantom checkpoint, you may then take a route which takes you to the location of the actual checkpoint. 

As I say on my website, the best way to avoid checkpoints and DUI arrests altogether is not to drive when you have had too much to drink.  Calling a cab or a friend are always better options.