What do you think about DUI checkpoints?

[lokiju]

I think they're a crock of shit to check every car that passes.

Might as well just say everyone is guilty until proven innocent.

I have nothing to hide but I do appreciate my time and don't like being held up for it.

 

[altonb1]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
If checkpoints are worthwhile because they can stop a few drunks, why not install breathalyzers on all cars? The only people who should care are drunk drivers. Why not take your keys when you walk into a bar, and make you blow to leave with them? Why not make each group entering a bar declare a designated driver and track that person's drinking so that either they have none, or keep their BAC below the legal limit? The only people who should care are drunk drivers.

Woah...where's this thread going now?

I do agree with this post, though. I find it absurd that I am automatically a suspect just because I happen to be driving my car at a certain time of night during a holiday season.

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: jagec


Sorta like your belief that illegal immigrants commit the vast majority of crimes, huh?

Oh, so when I say SERIOUSLY affect crime rates, you think that equates to " commit the vast majority of crimes"?
Ok, I see your problem, you are prone to hyperbole and gross generalization.
OK, you can be ignored without any change in outcome.

BTW, to re-set your baseline.... I do not agree with DUI check points, so your assumptions of my position were made erroneously, due to your inability to detect sarcasm.

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: altonb1

Originally posted by: joshsquall
If checkpoints are worthwhile because they can stop a few drunks, why not install breathalyzers on all cars? The only people who should care are drunk drivers. Why not take your keys when you walk into a bar, and make you blow to leave with them? Why not make each group entering a bar declare a designated driver and track that person's drinking so that either they have none, or keep their BAC below the legal limit? The only people who should care are drunk drivers.

Woah...where's this thread going now?

I do agree with this post, though. I find it absurd that I am automatically a suspect just because I happen to be driving my car at a certain time of night during a holiday season.

Exactly. What happened to "innocent unil proven guilty" and probable cause?

 

[IceBergSLiM]

3 glasses of wine or beer = driving impaired under the law

3 glasses of wine or beer != drunk for a majority of people or too intoxicated to safely operate a vehicle.

Its a money making scam that rarely helps. Only a small percentage of these checkpoint busts are the guy swerving all over the road who can barely stand up. Everyone else gets screwed for having some wine with dinner.

EDIT:

So whats the solution....Ban any kind of drinking and driving altogether. anything over .01 you are intoxicated. your car is impounded and auctioned off...and you lose your liscence for 10 years. This would certainly send the right message and it would also create vast demand for alternate late night transportation options.


The swishy swashy grey area open for interpretation bullsh1t system know is ineffective.

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: coldmeat
They help get idiots off the road.

Drunks, too.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: IcebergSlim
3 glasses of wine or beer = driving impaired under the law

3 glasses of wine or beer != drunk for a majority of people or too intoxicated to safely operate a vehicle.

Its a money making scam that rarely helps. Only a small percentage of these checkpoint busts are the guy swerving all over the road who can barely stand up. Everyone else gets screwed for having some wine with dinner.

Well I would not get in the car with someone who has recently had 3 glasses of alcohol. 2 maybe, but it depends on the person.

KT

 

[ScottFern]

It is purely a money making opportunity for PD's that need to steal some extra income.

 

[NL5]

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: altonb1

Originally posted by: joshsquall
If checkpoints are worthwhile because they can stop a few drunks, why not install breathalyzers on all cars? The only people who should care are drunk drivers. Why not take your keys when you walk into a bar, and make you blow to leave with them? Why not make each group entering a bar declare a designated driver and track that person's drinking so that either they have none, or keep their BAC below the legal limit? The only people who should care are drunk drivers.

Woah...where's this thread going now?

I do agree with this post, though. I find it absurd that I am automatically a suspect just because I happen to be driving my car at a certain time of night during a holiday season.

Exactly. What happened to "innocent unil proven guilty" and probable cause?

Ever hear of the Patriot act?????

BTW - How has this turned into a discussion of whether drunk driving is OK or not? The question is whether or not it's ok to stop innocent people and search them for NO CAUSE.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: NL5

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: altonb1

Originally posted by: joshsquall
If checkpoints are worthwhile because they can stop a few drunks, why not install breathalyzers on all cars? The only people who should care are drunk drivers. Why not take your keys when you walk into a bar, and make you blow to leave with them? Why not make each group entering a bar declare a designated driver and track that person's drinking so that either they have none, or keep their BAC below the legal limit? The only people who should care are drunk drivers.

Woah...where's this thread going now?

I do agree with this post, though. I find it absurd that I am automatically a suspect just because I happen to be driving my car at a certain time of night during a holiday season.

Exactly. What happened to "innocent unil proven guilty" and probable cause?

Ever hear of the Patriot act?????

BTW - How has this turned into a discussion of whether drunk driving is OK or not? The question is whether or not it's ok to stop innocent people and search them for NO CAUSE.

What kind of checkpoints are you going through that you are getting searched?

KT

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: NL5

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: altonb1

Originally posted by: joshsquall
If checkpoints are worthwhile because they can stop a few drunks, why not install breathalyzers on all cars? The only people who should care are drunk drivers. Why not take your keys when you walk into a bar, and make you blow to leave with them? Why not make each group entering a bar declare a designated driver and track that person's drinking so that either they have none, or keep their BAC below the legal limit? The only people who should care are drunk drivers.

Woah...where's this thread going now?

I do agree with this post, though. I find it absurd that I am automatically a suspect just because I happen to be driving my car at a certain time of night during a holiday season.

Exactly. What happened to "innocent unil proven guilty" and probable cause?

Ever hear of the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act?????

BTW - How has this turned into a discussion of whether drunk driving is OK or not? The question is whether or not it's ok to stop innocent people and search them for NO CAUSE.

Exactly
and fixed it for you. There is an effect in allowing misleading acronyms o proliferate.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Mojoed
For some strange reason, this thread reminds me of that Best Buy thread where someone threw a fit over being asked to show their receipt.

I'm willing to bet the people who think DUI checkpoints are a bad idea are the same people who would refuse to show their receipt when asked.

DUI checkpoints save lives. Period. You are selfish if you think checkpoints are stupid just because it costs you a few minutes of your time. It seems some of you take this personally.

It's about saving lives, not about your convenience. Get over yourselves.

You lose due a fundamental inability to distinguish between voluntary and mandatory. In other words, apples and oranges. If you don't like a store's receipt checking policy, shop at their competitor. No one is stopping you, and if more people did, stores might re-think their policy. In the meantime, the government holds a monopoly on law enforcement.

DUI checkpoints DON'T save lives (which is why you provide no statistical proof that they do), and constitute an obvious violation of 4th amendment rights. What you are doing here is being both selfish and stupid at the same time. You're not helping the problem, you just want to pretend that you are because you have no real solution to the problem, and you're harming the rest of us in order to get your way.

This is why I despise these discussions. You can just see the knees jerk down the line with every post.
"Ugh! Me-think DUI bad! We-make authority-God punish wrong-doers! You comply authority-God or be punished too!"

:roll:

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: moshquerade
the only ones who fear them are drunks

When did you stop beating your husband, mosh?

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: NL5

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: altonb1

Originally posted by: joshsquall
If checkpoints are worthwhile because they can stop a few drunks, why not install breathalyzers on all cars? The only people who should care are drunk drivers. Why not take your keys when you walk into a bar, and make you blow to leave with them? Why not make each group entering a bar declare a designated driver and track that person's drinking so that either they have none, or keep their BAC below the legal limit? The only people who should care are drunk drivers.

Woah...where's this thread going now?

I do agree with this post, though. I find it absurd that I am automatically a suspect just because I happen to be driving my car at a certain time of night during a holiday season.

Exactly. What happened to "innocent unil proven guilty" and probable cause?

Ever hear of the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act?????

BTW - How has this turned into a discussion of whether drunk driving is OK or not? The question is whether or not it's ok to stop innocent people and search them for NO CAUSE.

Exactly
and fixed it for you. There is an effect in allowing misleading acronyms o proliferate.

In that case, it's the U.S.A.P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act. Really doesn't matter though because its full title, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, is equally Orwellian, as with most legislation these days.

 

[NL5]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: NL5

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: altonb1

Originally posted by: joshsquall
If checkpoints are worthwhile because they can stop a few drunks, why not install breathalyzers on all cars? The only people who should care are drunk drivers. Why not take your keys when you walk into a bar, and make you blow to leave with them? Why not make each group entering a bar declare a designated driver and track that person's drinking so that either they have none, or keep their BAC below the legal limit? The only people who should care are drunk drivers.

Woah...where's this thread going now?

I do agree with this post, though. I find it absurd that I am automatically a suspect just because I happen to be driving my car at a certain time of night during a holiday season.

Exactly. What happened to "innocent unil proven guilty" and probable cause?

Ever hear of the Patriot act?????

BTW - How has this turned into a discussion of whether drunk driving is OK or not? The question is whether or not it's ok to stop innocent people and search them for NO CAUSE.

What kind of checkpoints are you going through that you are getting searched?

KT

Umm WTF do you think a Checkpoint is??????

 

[NL5]

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: NL5

Originally posted by: AlienCraft

Originally posted by: altonb1

Originally posted by: joshsquall
If checkpoints are worthwhile because they can stop a few drunks, why not install breathalyzers on all cars? The only people who should care are drunk drivers. Why not take your keys when you walk into a bar, and make you blow to leave with them? Why not make each group entering a bar declare a designated driver and track that person's drinking so that either they have none, or keep their BAC below the legal limit? The only people who should care are drunk drivers.

Woah...where's this thread going now?

I do agree with this post, though. I find it absurd that I am automatically a suspect just because I happen to be driving my car at a certain time of night during a holiday season.

Exactly. What happened to "innocent unil proven guilty" and probable cause?

Ever hear of the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act?????

BTW - How has this turned into a discussion of whether drunk driving is OK or not? The question is whether or not it's ok to stop innocent people and search them for NO CAUSE.

Exactly
and fixed it for you. There is an effect in allowing misleading acronyms o proliferate.

Yeah, sorry about that, there is nothing patriotic about the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. act.

 

[KeithTalent]

What the hell is the problem? I'm not sure what your checkpoints are like, but mine typically go like this:

I drive up to the officer and roll down my window:

Me: evening officer.

Officer shines light at me

Officer: anything to drink tonight?

Me: nothing tonight.

Officer: have a nice evening.

I drive off. OMG I feel so violated!! :roll:

If you are not doing anything wrong then what the hell is the problem??!!?!! If it gets even one drunken idiot off the road I am totally fine with it.

KT

 

[ScottFern]

Last time I checked this isn't the Police State you call Israel. Checkpoints should be illegal.

 

[OJ]

The simple solution would be to ban all alcohol.


Oh, we tried that once and it didn't work out so well.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
What the hell is the problem? I'm not sure what your checkpoints are like, but mine typically go like this:

I drive up to the officer and roll down my window:

Me: evening officer.

Officer shines light at me

Officer: anything to drink tonight?

Me: nothing tonight.

Officer: have a nice evening.

I drive off. OMG I feel so violated!! :roll:

If you are not doing anything wrong then what the hell is the problem??!!?!! If it gets even one drunken idiot off the road I am totally fine with it.

KT

OMG! You're so right! There's no argument here! Which is why sobriety checkpoints are specifically deemed unconstitutional in my state and 10 others, right?

:roll:


edit: BTW, the problem is that government studies have found that roving patrols are 3 times more effective than roadblocks in preventing and apprehending drunk drivers, while at the same time significantly reducing public inconvenience (for obvious reasons).
What does this mean? Quite logically, that the intent of checkpoints is not to apprehend drunk drivers (because they are significantly less effective), but to keep the DUI issue front and center overblown in the public discussion, and to give authoritarians a flimsy knee-jerk excuse to violate rights.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
What the hell is the problem? I'm not sure what your checkpoints are like, but mine typically go like this:

I drive up to the officer and roll down my window:

Me: evening officer.

Officer shines light at me

Officer: anything to drink tonight?

Me: nothing tonight.

Officer: have a nice evening.

I drive off. OMG I feel so violated!! :roll:

If you are not doing anything wrong then what the hell is the problem??!!?!! If it gets even one drunken idiot off the road I am totally fine with it.

KT

OMG! You're so right! There's no argument here! Which is why sobriety checkpoints are specifically deemed unconstitutional in my state and 10 others, right?

:roll:

So what? So those 11 states are right and everyone else is wrong? What's your point? Last I checked 11 out of 50 is still a minority.

KT

Edit: just saw your edit. Well what exactly is wrong with keeping the issue at the forefront of the media? I have friends who no longer drink and drive because they are worried about checkpoints being out there. That's a good thing in my opinion.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: ScottFern
Last time I checked this isn't the Police State you call Israel. Checkpoints should be illegal.

<--- Palestinian

DUI checkpoints are nothing like checkpoints in the West Bank/Gaza. Those are more like military roadblocks.
I don't see why there's such a problem with DUI checkpoints, they take little to nothing out of your time, and if you haven't done anything wrong then you have nothing to worry about. If you're worried that you may be over .08, actually impaired or not, that's the law; if you don't like it, lobby your legislators to get it changed. Call me when checkpoints here ACTUALLY begin to take freedoms away, like freedom of movement.

 

[NL5]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent


If you are not doing anything wrong then what the hell is the problem??!!?!! If it gets even one drunken idiot off the road I am totally fine with it.

KT

First off, they don't go quite the way you state. I don't think they just "take your word for it". They are searching your person to see if you have been drinking. That search (without cause) should be unconstitutional, and is in many states. If they see you weaving (giving them cause to search) then that is a different story.

I apologize for defending the freedoms my family has fought and died to protect. Really, why should we care? It's not like they will start searching your home without cause or warrant, or arrest you without cause or warrant, or put you in a secret prison without being so much as charged with a crime, or letting you contact a single person, right? Oh wait, that has happened to American citizens already. Why should we care? You do feel safer right? Illegal search and siezure is in direct violation with the Constitution. Period.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124

Originally posted by: ScottFern
Last time I checked this isn't the Police State you call Israel. Checkpoints should be illegal.

<--- Palestinian

DUI checkpoints are nothing like checkpoints in the West Bank/Gaza. Those are more like military roadblocks.
I don't see why there's such a problem with DUI checkpoints, they take little to nothing out of your time, and if you haven't done anything wrong then you have nothing to worry about. If you're worried that you may be over .08, actually impaired or not, that's the law; if you don't like it, lobby your legislators to get it changed. Call me when checkpoints here ACTUALLY begin to take freedoms away, like freedom of movement.

Are you saying that protection against unreasonable search and seizure is not a basic right?

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: NL5

Originally posted by: KeithTalent


If you are not doing anything wrong then what the hell is the problem??!!?!! If it gets even one drunken idiot off the road I am totally fine with it.

KT

First off, they don't go quite the way you state. I don't think they just "take your word for it". They are searching your person to see if you have been drinking. That search (without cause) should be unconstitutional, and is in many states. If they see you weaving (giving them cause to search) then that is a different story.

I apologize for defending the freedoms my family has fought and died to protect. Really, why should we care? It's not like they will start searching your home without cause or warrant, or arrest you without cause or warrant, or put you in a secret prison without being so much as charged with a crime, or letting you contact a single person, right? Oh wait, that has happened to American citizens already. Why should we care? You do feel safer right? Illegal search and siezure is in direct violation with the Constitution. Period.

The checkpoints may be different in the US, no doubt. But in my experience, that is exactly how they go up here in Canada.

Those things you listed are entirely different. You are out on a public road. Nobody is entering your car or your home.

KT