Sobriety Checkpoints?

Last weekend I went out with the boys for a few beers. One topic that came up in conversation was the use of sobriety checkpoints. Two of us, including myself came from an area where these were seen on a regular basis, especially on weekends. In case you don’t know what sobriety checkpoints are, our friends at Wikipedia do a nice job describing it:

“Sobriety checkpoints or roadblocks involve law enforcement officials stopping every vehicle (or more typically, every nth vehicle) on a public roadway and investigating the possibility that the driver might be too impaired to drive. They are often set up late at night or in the very early morning hours and on weekends, at which time the proportion of impaired drivers tends to be the highest. Checkpoints are also often set near the exit points of public events, to prevent large numbers of drunk drivers from being released into traffic simultaneously from the event.”

Checkpoints are often set-up in such a manner as not to allow the driver a route for escape. They're done in random spots, so you never know where one will pop-up. Developers have actually created apps for Smartphones to help warn drivers of checkpoints, but they are getting more difficult to find as initiatives are surfacing to outlaw them. Apple has banned from its online store future applications that inform users of checkpoint locations not publicized by police. I took a gander on my Droid and found several apps available for download.

I've been in Portland since 1996. In that time I thought I might see sobriety checkpoints become law here. It hasn’t happened yet, and the main reason I found out was because nearly 25 years ago, the Oregon State Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional for police to set up sobriety checkpoints to spot drunken drivers. I’ve read the pros and cons on the topic. Some say it's a waste of money; others say it has been successful. Obviously, you shouldn’t drink and drive at all, but as humans we are faulty.

If you have an opinion on the topic we’d love to hear from you.

References worth reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_checkpoint
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/02/sobriety_checkpoint_ahead_lets.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/02/pros_cons_get_an_airing_on_ame.html