Solon Police Annouces Date For Drunken Driving Checkpoint

The Solon Police checkpoint on Saturday, Aug. 25.

The location and times of the checkpoint will be revealed as the date draws closer.

The checkpoint is designed to detect impaired drivers and to educate the public about the dangers of drunk driving. 

"Because impaired driving accounts for so many of our region’s traffic safety deaths, it is imperative that we find ways to keep impaired drivers off the roadways and to convince those who’ve been drinking not to get behind the wheel in the first place," said Sgt. Jamey Hofmann in a news release.

The Solon Police Department uses a dual approach that combines sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols to combat drunken driving in the city. 

At sobriety checkpoints, officers stop vehicles in a predetermined sequence (such as every third car) to evaluate drivers for indications of alcohol or drug impairment. 

Saturation patrols involve increased enforcement targeting a specific geographic area to identify and arrest impaired drivers, with officers looking for signs of impaired driving, like excessive speeding, weaving, or driving left of center.  Together, the two approaches allow officers to blanket areas with high crash histories and raise the odds that impaired drivers will be caught. 

The checkpoint is being set up as part of the 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' campaign.