Police hope to intercept intoxicated drivers before they injure themselves or others. Typically, alcohol-related crashes spike on the day of the Super Bowl.
So far no DUI checkpoints are in the game plan, said a police spokeswoman, but ACPD is encouraging those who are drinking during the big game to hand off their keys to a responsible, designated driver.
ACPD says it will be upping patrols and setting up DUI checkpoints from Dec. 18 to Jan. 3. Nationwide, there’s an increase in drunk driving deaths around Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
From an ACPD press release:
A sobriety checkpoint will be set up in an undisclosed part of Arlington Thursday night, according to an Arlington County Police Department press release.
“Officers will stop all vehicles passing through the checkpoint and ask to see the licenses of drivers,” the police department said. “Any driver suspected of operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be directed to a safe area off the roadway for further observation and possible testing for intoxication.”
ACPD will team with the Virginia State Police, Fairfax County police and the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office to conduct the checkpoint.
Wherever it is, every driver will have his or her license checked and will be asked to take sobriety tests if the officers suspect alcohol consumption.
The department did not specify where exactly the checkpoint would be, but did say that Fairfax County would also be conducting its own checkpoint in conjunction.
From an ACPD press release:
The program started up Friday night and will run through New Year’s Day.
Every night through Jan. 1, between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., those in the D.C. area who have been drinking and need a lift home can call 1-800-200-TAXI for a free cab ride up to a $30 fare.
The incident happened at 11:22 p.m. on the 6000 block of Little Falls Road, just a block or two from where the Feb. 24 crash occurred. Police say a woman was loading her small children into an SUV on the eastbound side of the road when a vehicle traveling eastbound swerved across the bike lane and struck the parked SUV, pushing it onto the sidewalk.
The woman, a 31-year-old Vienna resident, suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. Her children, ages 6 months and 2 years old, were not injured.
A new superhero will be hitting the streets and bars of Clarendon Saturday night.
“SoberWoman” is described as the “witty better half” of SoberMan (left), the anti-DUI superhero who tried to save Clarendon bargoers from poor post-drinking decision making last December.
The police department does not announce the location of DUI checkpoints in advance, but often targets arterial routes used by those coming from restaurants and bars.
“This enforcement effort is in support of [a] national crackdown program on drunk driving that focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity,” ACPD said in a press release.
Smith, a 53-year-old Arlington resident, was arrested on the 1100 block of S. Rolfe Street, in the Arlington View neighborhood, around 3:30 a.m. on Friday, March 7. Smith was observed by an officer stopping at a green light, weaving in and out of lanes and almost striking a parked car, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
The officer pulled Smith over and she subsequently failed a field sobriety test, Sternbeck said. Smith was arrested and taken to the Arlington County Detention Center. Four days after the arrest, Drew Elementary parents were notified that Smith was “retiring.”
Arlington’s half police car-half taxi cab has been made into a scale model.
The vehicle, which is used to help discourage drunk driving, is a Ford Crown Victoria painted as both a police cruiser and a taxi, with the slogan “Choose Your Ride.” A company called Ixo Models is now manufacturing a 1/43 scale model version.
The Arlington County Police Department and the Arlington Sheriff’s Office will jointly conduct the DUI checkpoint at an as-yet undisclosed location in the county. It’s part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” drunk driving crackdown.
“Officers will stop all vehicles passing through the checkpoint and ask to see the licenses of drivers,” ACPD said in a press release. “Any driver suspected of operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol will be directed to a safe area off the roadway for further observation and possible testing for intoxication.”
