Recently there have been rumblings about instituting random sobriety checkpoints throughout Washington state.With a recent push from lawmakers and other advocates to make DUI laws in Washington even tougher, there is a very real possibility this could become a reality in Washington. Much of the call to action for tougher DUI enforcement is due to several high profile DUI accidents this year. Proponents of the idea cite to several statistics in other states that point to a reduction in DUI related deaths and accidents. Some studies have indicated that in states that have implemented random sobriety checkpoints, traffic-related deaths have been reduced by 25 to 30 percent.
While nobody advocates for drinking and driving, these DUI checkpoints raise serious concerns about individual privacy rights. Washington has attempted to pass laws of this nature in the past, but efforts have been unsuccessful in part because of the safely guarded privacy rights provided for in the state constitution. While we certainly believe that eliminating all traffic-related deaths should be among the highest priorities in the state, we wonder whether sacrificing what few individual liberties remaining is a viable option. If you are driving around and minding your own business, are you comfortable allowing police to conduct a fishing expedition in your vehicle? We wonder whether the means justify the ends in this situation. What do you think?
Regardless of the whether or not a law is passed allowing sobriety checkpoints, the toughening of DUI laws and the fact that this is even a discussion signals the fact that gone are the days of being able to have even a single drink with dinner and drive home. If you do that and are pulled over (or eventually have to submit to a random DUI sobriety checkpoint) odds are you are going to be arrested for DUI.
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