Officers set up sobriety checkpoints at various points along roads. Usually, they occur on the highway or freeway, or along particularly congested smaller roads or roads with a known issue with intoxicated drivers.
The intent of a sobriety checkpoint? To find and remove potentially intoxicated drivers from the road, thus improving the safety of a road for everyone. But do drivers have to legally go through all DUI or sobriety checkpoints they see?
What to avoid when turning
LifeSafer discusses sobriety checkpoints and how to safely avoid them. A driver may want to avoid a sobriety checkpoint for a number of reasons, and most have nothing to do with their sobriety.
The good news: it is perfectly legal for a driver to avoid these checkpoints. However, they cannot simply turn around where they sit and make a break for it. They must still abide by the rules of the road.
This means that a driver who intends to avoid a sobriety checkpoint cannot make an illegal turn or U-turn, cannot drive over solid lines, cannot speed or drive recklessly and cannot cut off other drivers. If an officer notices such behavior, they may pull the driver over, which could lead to eventual requests for a BAC test.
Other reasons to get pulled over
However, even if a driver follows the rules of the road, an officer may still find a reason to pull them over. This can include broken tail lights or expired plate stickers. Thus, a driver should only turn and leave from a sobriety checkpoint if they have no reason for an officer to pull them over.
