If Castle Shannon police don’t make any arrests during a sobriety checkpoint, Chief Ken Truver won’t be upset.
“We don’t want to do the enforcement. We will, but we don’t want to,” he said. “This campaign is all about educating the public and doing the safe and responsible thing.”
Greensburg Police Lt. Reginald Harbarger agrees.
“We don’t want to arrest people for a DUI. That’s not our goal,” he said. “Our goal as a whole is to get people to stop and use the resources they have to get home safely.”
As the summer driving season and holidays approach, police will be using an old tactic to not only catch impaired drivers but to warn them to stay off the road altogether. Driving Under the Influence checkpoints have been used in Pennsylvania for decades, and police believe they continue to be a key awareness tool to remind drivers to find a safe way home if they’re out partying.
Police departments across the region are banding together for nearly two weeks this month to do dedicated roving patrols as St. Patrick’s Day is approaching. It’s a common theme centered around other holidays, such as Fourth of July and Thanksgiving.
Alcohol was a factor in 22% of fatal crashes in Pennsylvania in 2024, according to PennDOT statistics. That’s a drop from the previous four years, when the same statistic ranged from 25% to 27%. In 2024, 14 people in Allegheny County and eight people in Westmoreland died as a result of an alcohol-related crash.
There were 7,745 alcohol-related crashes statewide in 2024, the lowest total in five years and down from 8,337 in 2023. They left more than 4,800 people injured last year.
Thanksgiving in 2024 led the way among holidays with the most alcohol-related crashes, followed by Memorial Day and Labor Day. Whereas 9% of all holiday crashes involved alcohol use, 30% of fatalities during those times were related to alcohol.
The statistics make it pretty clear to officials that DUI checkpoints remain valuable and worthwhile.
“They make sure people are aware that law enforcement are out there,” said Cathy Tress, regional DUI program administrator with the Pennsylvania DUI Association.
“It’s really important that we still have a presence,” said Yasmeen Manyisha, PennDOT safety press officer.
Harrison Township Police Department conducts roving checkpoints as a member of the Westmoreland County DUI Task Force.
Chief Brian Turack said the sporadic checks benefit the township, located just across the Allegheny River from Westmoreland County, because of the additional manpower and ability to educate the public.
“It puts another car on the road in the township that focuses on proactive measures,” he said. “That initiative is all about taking intoxicated drivers off the road.”
Alcohol not the only culprit
It’s not just alcohol use that impairs drivers. Harbarger is a drug recognition expert, which allows him to do an evaluation and determine whether someone has been using an illegal substance before getting behind the wheel.
Stationary checkpoints are typically set up in spots where crashes are common, and police can chat with drivers before sending them on their way or investigating further.
But with roving patrols, officers rely on their observations of driver behavior, such as swerving or driving slower than the speed limit, before making a stop.
“There’s all kinds of clues they’re looking for,” Truver said.
During a traffic stop, that can be an odor of alcohol or marijuana, as well as slurred speech or bloodshot eyes, he said. If those factors are present, they can do a field sobriety test or call in a drug recognition expert, if needed.
A 1990 U.S. Supreme Court ruling held that police have to announce checkpoints ahead of time to meet a minimal standard of consent — if drivers know there’s a checkpoint and still drive, they’re effectively acknowledging they could run into the checkpoint and be stopped.
State police typically issue a news release in advance. Some local departments join with PennDOT and other agencies to announce a campaign.
Combined statistics from Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s showed state troopers investigated 3,288 crashes statewide, 5.6% of which were related to driver impairment. One person was killed in a DUI-related crash and troopers made 1,043 DUI arrests, according to statistics released by the agency.
Studies have shown that sobriety checkpoints, and publicizing them, are effective in reducing crashes and fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Police departments can get funding for them through state and federal agencies, authorities said.
“The whole idea is this is an omnipresence,” Truver said. “We want the public to think we’re everywhere.”
With public transportation and ride-share services, officials said there’s no reason for impaired drivers to get behind the wheel. They urge the public to make plans in advance for how to get home safely from celebrations that might involve alcohol or drugs.
If not, police say they’ll be watching in an effort to prevent wrecks and fatalities.
“It’s so important to not get behind the wheel, because so many people lose the lives of loved ones all the time,” Harbarger said.