Sobriety Checkpoints Proposed Again

Republican State Senator John Carona has proposed a bill that will legalize sobriety checkpoints in Texas. In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled checkpoints constitutional, but in 1994 the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled them illegal in Texas until the Legislature passed a law giving clear police guidelines at these checkpoints. Supporters of the bill, which include victims of drunk driving accidents, argue that it would make Texas safer because of the high number of deaths and injuries that are caused by drunk driving every year in Texas. The Statesman has the story here.

 

         “ ‘1,292 killed and about 30,000 injured last year in Texas traffic wrecks where alcohol use was a factor,’ Corona said.”

 

            Opponents of the bill point to the violations of civil liberties Texans would face if checkpoints were implemented.

            This article is important for people to read because it deals with a fundamental issue of government. How far can the government go to protect the public without violating the rights of its citizens? The issue of sobriety checkpoints is especially fascinating because drunk driving causes hundreds of deaths in Texas every year. Since checkpoint legislation has been proposed several times since 1994 and has yet to pass, the Texas legislature has till now favored the liberties of its citizens over the safety of the public in this area. The outcome of this years bill will be an indicator of government attitudes to the issue presently and how they may have changed over the last 15 years.