Drivers sailing through DUI checkpoints while stone-cold sober can still be picked up by police for other offenses. And Mothers Against Drunk Driving want to keep it that way.
The well-known road safety advocacy group is stomping upset over a plan to limit cops's authority at checkpoints, according to the Contra Costa Times. MADD says that Assembly Bill 1389 would "condone" driving without a license, valid registration and with outstanding arrest warrants, the newspaper reported.
The bill gives some leeway to drivers driving without a valid license. But according to MADD, it would allow cops to check only for sobriety at DUI checkpoints, and would not allow them the authority to also check a driver's criminal history and registration status -- and that's unsafe.
In 2009, there were 170,622 convictions for driving without a license in California, according to the state DMV. Of these, about one quarter, or 43,598, had lost their licenses for driving illegally on a suspended license due to a previous DUI, according to the newspaper.
According to MADD, AB 1389 would allow more DUI offenders operating on a suspended license to continue to drive illegally on the state's roadways, the newspaper said.
