Monday, Feb. 2, 2004 | 10:48 a.m.
Super Bowl revelers driving west on Flamingo Road were put to the test Sunday night at a Metro Police DUI checkpoint.
By 10 p.m. Metro Police officers had arrested 10 drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol, Sgt. Dave Lewis said.
"We always do (DUI checkpoints) on holidays and big events, but this is the first year we've done this for Super Bowl," he said.
Metro Police decided to conduct the stops on the day of the big game because historically there have been a high number of DUI accidents resulting from Super Bowl parties.
Between 2000 and 2002, an average of 116 people were killed in traffic accidents daily, with 48 of those alcohol-related, according to the National Commission Against Drunk Driving.
On Super Bowl Sundays, the average number of highway deaths jumped to 131, with 76 of them alcohol-related.
Metro Police were prepared to take action to decrease these numbers.
"The day shift guys said they were surprisingly busy with more DUI accidents than usual" on Super Bowl Sunday, Lewis said Sunday night. "We're going to get a decent number of people in tonight for DUIs and get them off the road."
From 5:30 p.m. until midnight, a portion of West Flamingo Road at the intersection of Lindell Road was funneled from three lanes into two. Officers lined up, three to each lane, to stop each car that rolled up.'
Lewis said it is required by state law for officers to stop every vehicle or use a pattern, rather than choosing at random.
"We can't just look like we're pulling over a certain car without cause," he said. "So we can do it by stopping every fifth car or every 10th car or every car. We chose every car because its most effective and consistent."
Lewis said the intersection Metro chose is "on the way back from a lot of bars."
After stopping the car, an officer talked with each driver, asking questions such as "How are you doing tonight?"
Based on a quick conversation, officers were able to determine if the driver should take a field sobriety test.
Those chosen were escorted to the sidewalk, behind a DUI van, to conduct tests including a horizontal gaze test, in which an officer asks the person to follow his finger with their eyes, a walk-and-turn test and a one-leg-stand test.
Those who failed were then given a preliminary breath test to determine if they should be given an official Breathalyzer test, located inside the DUI van.
By 6 p.m., officers had pulled aside four drivers, giving them the field sobriety test. Of the four, one was arrested for DUI.
One of the men was a diabetic experiencing low blood sugar, Lewis said.
"Diabetics with low blood sugar can be more dangerous driving than someone who is drunk," he said. "It's hard to tell sometimes. That's why we have these checkpoints. He won't be arrested for DUI, but he needs to get off the road and get whatever he needs."
Officers shook their heads as they witnessed several cars make U-turns to avoid the DUI checkpoint ahead.
By law, police must conduct the checkpoint in an area where drivers can turn around and avoid the stop, Lewis said.
"It's law and we have to provide a turnaround point before they get to us," he said.
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