Drivers throughout Kansas may have noticed that there have been more DUI checkpoints set up along the roads than there ever were before. This past Labor Day weekend, the Lawrence Police Department set up a DUI check lane from eleven in the evening on Friday until three in the morning on Saturday. Nearly four hundred vehicles passed through the checkpoint. Of those vehicles, twenty drivers participated in field sobriety tests. Ten of those drivers were arrested for DUI. In addition to the DUI arrests, officers issued two citations for drug offenses and six citations for traffic violations.
The Labor Day weekend DUI check in Lawrence was just one of the many recent DUI checkpoints which were set up throughout the state. One late-night checkpoint in Sedgwick County resulted in two DUI arrests and one drug-related arrest. There were two DUI checkpoints in Kansas City on September 12th and 13th. At those checkpoints, Missouri police made a total of twenty two DUI arrests, four arrests for driving with a suspended or revoked license, three arrests for driving without a valid license, nine traffic violations, and six drug-related arrests. As you can see, DUI checkpoints are an easy way for law enforcement officials to look for multiple types of motor vehicle violations at once, including driving under the influence of alcohol, seatbelt use, drug use, and possession of weapons.
Since law enforcement officials have stepped up their use of DUI checkpoints, it is essential that drivers understand how checkpoints work, and how they can do their best to pass through them without incident. When checkpoints are to be set up, their locations are publicized in advance, often on the internet and in newspapers. Drivers can learn about the locations and dates of checkpoints ahead of time, and plan accordingly. Also, signs are posted near the checkpoint area to inform drivers that there is a checkpoint ahead. Some drivers interpret these signs as a cue to take an alternate route in order to avoid the checkpoint; however, this is not always a good idea. There are often officers stationed outside of the checkpoint area, near streets that lead away from the checkpoint, and they are looking for drivers who appear to be attempting to avoid the checkpoint. The end result is that drivers who make a last-minute decision to avoid the checkpoint are likely to be stopped.
Since attempting to avoid a checkpoint is likely to focus unwanted law enforcement attention on your vehicle, going through the checkpoint is probably your best bet. Officers at checkpoints may only examine each vehicle for a short amount of time, unless they develop a reasonable suspicion of illegal activity. The best thing that you can do is to exercise your right to remain silent, and give as little information as you can. For example, you are not required to provide an answer to the question of whether you have had anything to drink, how much you have had to drink, where you are coming from, or where you are going. It is entirely possible to remain calm and be polite while doing so, and your attitude does play a role in how smoothly your checkpoint experience will go.
If you have been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, it is important that you contact a Kansas DUI Defense Attorney immediately. Retaining a knowledgeable Kansas DUI Defense Attorney will give you the best chance at obtaining the best possible result in your Kansas DUI case. To learn more about how a Kansas DUI Defense Attorney can help you with your DUI case, please call our Wichita office today at (316) 264-1548.