PANAMA CITY BEACH -- The Florida Highway Patrol will put approximately 25 troopers on Back Beach Road near the intersection with Nautilus Drive to conduct sobriety checks tonight.
The roadside safety checkpoint begins at 7 p.m. and continues through midnight. During that time, vehicles will be stopped to check for impaired drivers. Drivers suspected of impairment will be sobriety tested on site.
Lt. Rick Warden described the checks as a “limited intrusion,” meaning that troopers will check for impairment and a valid driver’s license, but they won’t concern themselves with things like equipment violations. The FHP conducts these operations this time of year because of the increase in traffic due to holiday visitors, Warden said.
“It’s the time where people do visit and travel,” Warden said.
The checkpoints have been successful in getting impaired drivers off the road, an FHP news release says. The public can use *FHP (*347) if they come into contact with a driver they believe is impaired.