Social Media Forces Changes in DUI Checkpoints

People spread the word faster than ever

The police are sometimes accused of linear thinking, especially when it comes to DUI checkpoints.

They set them up on Friday and Saturday nights. They redouble their efforts on New Year's Eve.

Perhaps the finest example would was one police force in the wine country of Northern California that decided to put a DUI checkpoint at the bottom of a winery's driveway. Yes, on barrel-tasting day.

The police now have a stronger enemy in the people—the people who are using social media to warn others that this particular Friday or Saturday night has been selected for special drunk-driving checking.

At first, it seems that police were a little bemused by the very idea that people wouldn't want other people to be caught be the police.

Now, however, some police forces have decided to use more sprightly tactics to ensnare those who are unwise enough to imbibe and drive.

As the Associated Press reports, big checkpoints may be on the way out.

They're too obvious, take too long to set up and word travels too quickly, as they're so often located on busy roads—on the shooting-fish-in-barrel principle.