DUI Checkpoint Sees Sober Drivers

Maybe the prospect of a Friday night DUI checkpoint in Wilton was a sobering thought for area drivers.

The Wilton Police Department, with the help of Westport Police, conducted along Danbury Road. Wilton Lieutenant Don Wakeman said that despite stopping "hundreds" of vehicles, officers made no arrests for DUIs.

"We've done checkpoints in the past where we've made several arrests," Wakeman said. "It's encouraging that you do this for about eight hours and there are who knows how many hundreds of vehicles coming through and you end up not needing to arrest anyone. You hope the message is finally getting across to the majority of people."

Friday's checkpoint, as most Wilton conducts, was funded through a state-sponsored grant program to curtail DUI practices. As part of the arrangement, police are required to post notices of the checkpoint in advance and post signage in the area while it is being conducted.

Though Wakeman wasn't sure whether or not the advanced notice may have clued any potential drunk drivers into avoiding the area, he did say police tested a number of people and not a single one failed the field sobriety tests.