DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio — The Ohio State Highway Patrol announced today that an OVI checkpoint will be held Friday from 9 p.m. to midnight.
The checkpoint will happen along State Route 3 in the Sunbury area. The initiative, held in partnership with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and Sunbury Police Department, aims to deter and intercept impaired drivers.
Funded by federal grant money, the OVI checkpoint is part of a broader push to curb alcohol-related accidents that often lead to severe injuries and fatalities. Alongside the checkpoint, local law enforcement agencies will also deploy saturation patrols in nearby areas.
The authorities urge those who plan to consume alcohol to arrange alternative modes of transportation before they start drinking. Designating a driver or using public transportation can be a lifesaver, they emphasized.
While some critics argue that checkpoints infringe on civil liberties, the legality of OVI checkpoints has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 1990 decision, Michigan Dept. of State Police v. Sitz, the Court ruled that the interest in reducing alcohol-impaired driving was sufficient to justify the brief intrusion of sobriety checkpoints. Consequently, these measures are legally sanctioned, provided they are conducted in a reasonable and non-arbitrary manner. However, laws vary by state, with some states prohibiting these checkpoints. In Ohio, law enforcement agencies are required to publicly announce the time and location of checkpoints in advance, a condition that has been met in this case.
In their statement, the enforcement agencies reiterated their commitment to reducing alcohol-related accidents, imploring the public not to let another life be lost due to the senseless act of driving while impaired.