St. Patrick's Day DUI Checkpoint Planned In Bucks County

The Bucks County DUI Task Force will conduct a sobriety checkpoint this weekend in light of the St. Patrick's Day holiday. The checkpoint will begin around 10 p.m. Saturday and go until 3 a.m. Sunday on Route 611 in Warrington, authorities announced.

Officers from eight municipal police departments will participate. Officers from the following municipalities will be assisting in the effort: Bensalem, Doylestown, Middletown, Newtown, Northampton, Richland, Warrington and Warwick townships. The Pennsylvania State Police will also be present.

The officers will be stopping drivers traveling in both directions and observing them for signs of impairment. Any driver who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs may be subjected to field sobriety tests and possible arrest, authorities said.

A similar checkpoint this time last year on the same stretch of road resulted in nine DUI charges, three drug possession charges, three paraphernalia charges, and two underage drinking citations.

“As you enjoy St. Patrick’s Day, be of good cheer,” District Attorney Matthew D. Weintraub said. “Just don’t rely on ‘the luck of the Irish’ to get you home safely if you are celebrating and have had too much to drink. Be responsible, and please don’t drink and drive.”

Weintraub urged revelers to plan in advance for a designated driver, a ride from a relative or friend, a taxi or a ride-sharing service such as Uber or Lyft.

The efforts of the task force – the oldest county-wide impaired driving enforcement program in Pennsylvania – are funded largely through a continuing federal safety grant administered through PennDOT.

For more than a decade, Impaired Driving Program grants have been provided through PennDOT and NHTSA, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania DUI Association. The grants help pay for salary reimbursement for officers who participate in the program, as well as for equipment used in DUI enforcement.

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