Virginia Holiday Revelers to Encounter More Sobriety Checkpoints

Checkpoint Strikeforce Exceeds 350 DUI Arrests to Date in Statewide Sobriety Checkpoint Blitz

Governor Warner Receives Government Leadership Award From National Commission Against Drunk Driving

MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 4 -- Virginians who choose to drink and drive will find sobering news when they hit the road this holiday season. The Virginia State Police (VSP) and local law enforcement agencies are stepping up their campaign of sobriety checkpoints across the state as part of the Checkpoint Strikeforce sobriety checkpoint and public awareness campaign. Sobriety checkpoints are planned in at least seven counties of Virginia over the next two weekends alone, with more to be added throughout the month.

In addition, VSP will be conducting ongoing saturation patrols, particularly on roads and highways that have historically experienced higher incidences of drunk driving. In recent years, alcohol-related crashes in Virginia have spiked in the month of December, making the holiday season the most dangerous time on Virginia's highways.

The announcement comes the same day that Virginia Governor Mark Warner received an award for government leadership from the National Commission Against Drunk Driving. Warner was recognized for his leadership in creating a Governors Task Force on DUI, the results of which were announced at the kick- off of the Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign at the Henrico County Jail in August. It also comes the day after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration unveiled a new strategy to reduce impaired driving that places a priority on high visibility traffic enforcement initiatives like sobriety checkpoints and cites the Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign as a national model.

"The holidays are a time of good cheer and fine merriment, but all too often over-celebration leads to tragedy," said Kurt Erickson, president and CEO of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), which is assisting the DMV with the Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign. "That's why our police are stepping up efforts to catch drunk drivers in the act with more sobriety checkpoints. So far this year, the Virginia State Police, through Checkpoint Strikeforce, has conducted 99 checkpoints in Virginia and made 351 DWI arrests.* Every drunk driver arrested and taken off the roads improves all our chances of getting home safely to enjoy the holidays."

Supported by a NHTSA grant through the Virginia DMV to WRAP, Checkpoint Strikeforce is a highly focused, zero tolerance law enforcement effort to reduce drunk driving via sobriety checkpoints. Studies show that sobriety checkpoints can reduce alcohol-related crashes by as much as 20 percent.

In addition to increased sobriety checkpoints, Virginians will also continue to be exposed to a series of creative radio ads that were launched in August and are designed specifically to target 21- to 35-year-olds in Virginia -- a hard-to-reach audience that is statistically most at risk for drunk driving. Of all fatal crashes, drivers in this age group have the highest incidence of intoxication -- approaching double the rate of teenagers and drivers 45 and older. (Source: NHTSA)

Last year's inaugural campaign produced measurable results. In an independent poll conducted at the conclusion of the campaign, support for sobriety checkpoints increased as more than seven out of 10 Virginians (71 percent) reported that they strongly support sobriety checkpoints, and 82 percent said they are a useful tool in keeping drunk drivers off the road. Additionally, 81 percent of Virginians believe that sobriety checkpoints are a "good investment of tax dollars."

For more information or to hear the Checkpoint Strikeforce radio advertisements that are currently running, please log onto www.wrap.org.

*Does not include arrests made by local law enforcement checkpoints.