Checkpoint Strikeforce

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Checkpoint Strikeforce is a research-based, multi-state, zero-tolerance initiative designed to get impaired drivers off our roads using checkpoints and patrols when and where drunk driving is most likely to occur and, to educate the public about the dangers and consequences of drunk driving.

The premise behind this program is simple; there will be sobriety checkpoints, every week, everywhere - in each participating state - so you never know when or where you may encounter one.

Program InformationCheckpoint


The program began in 2002 as a six-month initiative but due to its success, was expanded to a year-round effort in 2005. The year-long program is comprised of six months of intense enforcement (at least 1 checkpoint per week from July through December) and six months sustained (at least 1 checkpoint per month from January through June).

The checkpoints can be multi-agency, cross-jurisdictional, low-manpower, conducted during happy hour, or any other innovative type. Every checkpoint should be highly publicized and visible and ideally supplemented with saturation patrols.

Facts

  • Alcohol-impaired driving is a deadly crime that’s still prevalent throughout America and is especially common among young males 21 to 34-years-old.
  • Driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher is illegal in all 50 states.
  • In 2015, 10,265 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (29%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.
  • Of the 1, 1,132 traffic deaths among children ages 0 to 14 years in 2015, 209 (16%) involved an alcohol-impaired driver.
  • In 2015, 241 persons were killed in alcohol-related crashes on Virginia roadways, a 4% decrease from 2014. Thirty-two percent of Virginia traffic fatalities were alcohol-related.
  • In 2015, the total number of lives lost on Virginia roadways was 753.

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