Saline County Officers Conduct Weekend Sobriety Checkpoint

March 19, 2012

    Officers with the Benton Police Department and the Saline County Sheriff’s Office conducted a sobriety checkpoint during the evening of Saturday, March 17^th.  They were looking for impaired drivers, and especially young adults and teens that choose to drink and drive.

    The checkpoint was a five hour event held at the intersection of Alcoa Road and the Benton Parkway.  It is part of a two month traffic initiative to help reduce traffic crashes, educate our citizens about dangers associated with violating traffic laws, and in general help protect our community. 

    In addition to the checkpoint, officers were out in force looking for all impaired drivers with an emphasis on violators of Arkansas’ Underage DUI Law, which makes it illegal for anyone under age 21 to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .02 or above.

The results of the checkpoint were:

DWI Arrests:                                       4

Refusal to submit to chemical test:      1

Felony Fleeing:                                    1

Warrants served:                                 3

Suspended Drivers License:               5

No Drivers License:                              5

Child Safety Seat Violation:                2

No Proof of Insurance:                         1

Restricted Driving Permit Violation:       1

No motorcycle endorsement:                 1

Careless and Prohibitive driving:            1

Reckless driving:                                1

Felony Drug Arrests:                            1

    The message these arrests make is especially important at this time of the year when many more young people are on the road for spring breaks and end-of-school activities such as proms and graduations.

    For a young driver, this means one drink is all it takes to be impaired, said Lt. Kevin Russell “Impaired driving is not just another traffic offense, it is a serious crime that often causes needless deaths and injuries,” Lt. Russell said.  “Our message is simple, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”  If you are over the limit, we will arrest and prosecute you.  No exceptions.  No excuses.”

    Underage drinking laws in all 50 states make it illegal for those under age 21 to consume any amount of alcohol.  For more information on the campaign, contact the Arkansas Highway Safety Office at 501-618-8136 or visit www.bentonpolice.org

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