WESTFIELD – Motorists in the city – and the rest of Hampden County – who may be tempted not to bother to arrange for a designated driver may have an added incentive to be responsible this weekend because state police will have an added presence on the county roads this weekend.
Col. Timothy P. Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, has announced that troopers will set up a ‘sobriety checkpoint’ somewhere in Hampden County on Friday evening extending into Saturday morning so motorists may meet a trooper during their travels.
Sobriety checkpoints are established routinely by troopers, usually on a weekend night, in various locations throughout the Commonwealth and Alben states that their purpose 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.”
Alben assures the public that cars will not be stopped arbitrarily and safety will be assured.
He states that troopers will minimize the inconvenience caused by the checkpoints that will operate during varied hours and said that the public is notified before the fact to reduce any fear or anxiety that may be engendered in motorists who come upon the concentration of troopers conducting the operation.
The sobriety checkpoints are made possible by a grant from the highway safety division of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
