WESTFIELD – Motorists will be well advised to drive sober on Thursday when state troopers will be active somewhere in Hampden County checking for impaired drivers.
According to a prepared statement by Col. Timothy P. Alben, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, a ‘sobriety checkpoint’ will be established Thursday at one or more sites on public roadways in the county and will continue into Friday morning.
Alben said that the purpose of the checkpoint operation, which is funded by a grant from the highway safety division of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, is “to further educate the motoring public and strengthen the public’s awareness to the need of detecting and removing those motorists who operate under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs from our roadways.”
State police have operated such checkpoints around the Commonwealth for years and have issued notices identifying which county is scheduled in order “to reduce fear and anxiety” among motorists when they encounter the checkpoints.
Alben’s announcement states that the checkpoint will be operating at various times and the selection of vehicles to be checked will not be arbitrary. He promises that safety will be assured and said that inconveniences to motorists will be minimized.
