DUI checkpoints, or sobriety stops, exist in areas with high rates of DUI driving. However, many people have perfectly valid reasons to want to avoid these checkpoints outside of DUI.
Is it possible to avoid these checkpoints safely and legally?
Take a safe detour
LifeSafer discusses ways to safely avoid sobriety stops. Fortunately, it is possible to avoid a DUI checkpoint in a safe and legal way.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that you must abide by traffic laws at every point in your exit from the checkpoint. In many states, police officers must provide an alternative route to drivers who do not wish to go through the checkpoint. In these cases, simply follow the instructions and detour signs to leave.
In other cases, they will not provide a detour but you may take one yourself. Look for the first safe turn that you can take to exit the current road with the checkpoint set up. You can use navigational equipment like GPS and Google Maps to find a new path.
Avoid breaking the road rules
When making your exit, make sure to avoid making illegal U-turns, illegal turns, driving over double lines or driving into the wrong lane of traffic. Do not drive in an aggressive way that could endanger the cars around you, either.
Keep in mind that officers can pull you over for breaking the rules of the road while trying to leave a DUI checkpoint, which would defeat the purpose of leaving in the first place.
