Although the percentage of those arrested may be low, experts say that the effectiveness of sobriety checkpoints should not be measured in arrests but in heightened public awareness. People are concerned about the low yield rate. People tend to focus on that if you stop 1,000 drivers, you may only catch 10 drunk drivers. The point is that the public being aware of sobriety checkpoints may prevent them from driving drunk. The point is not to catch people, but to prevent accidents and injuries.
Strain attributes much of the success of the program to getting the word out about checkpoints.
We had people in bars talking. These conversations among people who were drinking greatly reduced their driving after drinking. However, there are opponents to sobriety checkpoints who argue that they violate constitutional rights and are not effective in decreasing the number of alcohol-related crashes. These opponents contend that results from programs such as Checkpoint Tennessee are exaggerated because of changes in the terminology. These laws do not stop drunk driving.