Police sobriety checkpoints can reduce drunk driving better than increased penalties

Researchers examined survey data collected from individual drivers, police, and defense attorneys specializing in DWI in eight U.S. cities. They compared two measures to determine which was a better deterrent of alcohol-impaired driving: the threat of being apprehended for DWI or harsher penalties for DWI.

Individuals reported that a greater perceived chance of being pulled over for DWI corresponded to less alcohol-impaired driving on their part. Conversely, individual perceptions of DWI penalties were unrelated to their self-reports of current or future alcohol-impaired driving. The authors suggested that increasing the certainty of apprehension by increasing police staffing and/or conducting more sobriety checks would likely be more effective in reducing alcohol-impaired driving than legislating increased penalties.