Padre Island National Seashore will Conduct a Sobriety Checkpoint on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012.
Padre Island National Seashore will conduct a Sobriety Checkpoint on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012 on Park Road 22 at the Malaquite Visitor Center. The purpose of the checkpoint is to detect and apprehend alcohol and drug impaired drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recognized impaired driving as one of the nation's most often committed and deadliest crimes. It has designated Labor Day weekend as part of the national impaired-driving enforcement crackdown "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over".
According to NHTSA there were 2,998 traffic fatalities in the state of Texas in 2010, with 42 percent being alcohol/DUI related. In addition, NHTSA reports 50 percent of Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related traffic collision in his or her lifetime. Sobriety checkpoints are a proactive deterrent and are one of the most effective methods of reducing the amount of impaired drivers who pose a serious threat to innocent, unsuspecting motorists traveling our roadways.
So far this year, Law Enforcement Park Rangers have charged 59 drivers for driving under the influence (DUI) and issued 184 citations for other alcohol and drug violations. This checkpoint will support the continued detection and deterrence of alcohol and/or drug impaired driving and will contribute to a safe park experience for all visitors on this holiday weekend.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
