Crime & Safety

Sobriety Checkpoint This Week in Howard County

Police will be checking for impaired drivers, safety belt and child seat use.

Police this week will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint somewhere in Howard County in an effort to get drunken drivers off the roads.

Lights, signs, uniformed officers, along with marked and unmarked vehicles will be stopping vehicles and checking drivers not only for sobriety, but also for proper use of safety belts and child seats.

Last year, alcohol was a factor in 6 of 13 fatal collisions handled by Howard County police; that number was down nearly 50 percent from 2009 when 11 people died in such crashes to which the department responded. Almost 1,650 people were arrested in 2010 for driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence.

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The police department sets up several checkpoints throughout the year to target drunken drivers as part of the Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign, which is partially funded by a grant from the Maryland Highway Safety Office.

Police remind drivers to stay sober, and if you plan to drink, be sure to designate a sober driver. And if you notice a driver that you think may be drunk or otherwise impaired, call 911.

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