Drivers using social media to avoid drunk driving checkpoints

By KevinMarcilliat, In Drunk Driving, 0 Comments

Social media is a powerful tool to connect people and help them stay in touch. These days, drivers in North Carolina are finding a new way to use social media to warn each other of DWI checkpoints throughout the city — giving drivers the opportunity to avoid these checkpoints and possibly preventing their arrest.

In one social media post regarding Mooresville, drivers were warned that a sheriff’s officer would be in a dark spot off Interstate 77. There are also some social media applications that tell drivers where the police are at any given moment. According to one trooper, it doesn’t take long for drivers to realize where the police are, but it’s all part of the freedom of speech and the people who use social media to avoid them are not breaking the law.

Not everyone agrees with the practice, however. One social media poster asked drivers to refrain from giving tips about the positions of officers because it could result in an unnecessary car crash if an intoxicated driver doesn’t get taken immediately off the road. However, one police officer said that the extra social media attention helps them do their job because word is getting out that police are out and on patrol — which could dissuade drivers from operating their vehicles while intoxicated.

Ultimately, it’s important for drivers to remember that — even if they are accused of DWI — they may not actually be guilty of the offense. Every driver will have the opportunity to defend him or herself in court against any criminal charge he or she is facing.

Source: wsoctv.com, “Social media informs drivers of DUI checkpoints,” DaShawn Brown, Dec. 30, 2017.

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