DUI Checkpoints Planned for Weekend

The ENDUI enforcement teams will be searching for impaired drivers with upcoming sobriety

checkpoints and saturation patrols on Sept. 5 around Lake Tenkiller and Tahlequah. The checkpoints will coincide with regular patrols aimed at impaired drivers. Agencies involved include Tahlequah Police Department, Cherokee Nation Marshal's Office, Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, Northeastern State University Police Department and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP).

According to the OHP, impaired driving is one of Oklahoma's deadliest crimes. In 2014, 163 people died on Oklahoma's roads in crashes that involved a driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, accounting for nearly one-third of traffic fatalities in the state.

With increased enforcement efforts, law enforcement officers will have zero tolerance for persons driving while impaired. The goal is to have a highly visible ENDUI program that will discourage people who have been drinking or using impairing substances from getting behind the wheel, and to address those who make the poor decision to drive while impaired.

"On average there is one alcohol impaired driving-related fatality every 52 minutes across the country," said Col. Rick Adams, OHP Chief. "Driving impaired or riding with someone impaired is not worth the risk."

Adams said law enforcement officials are making progress in the fight against impaired driving by working with safety partners and by arming people with useful tools such as the SaferRide app.  The app allows quick access to alternate transportation and is available for Android devices on Google Play, and Apple devices on the iTunes store.

Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director

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