Mayor William Cogswell announces D.U.I. checkpoints to crack down on impaired driving

Mayor William Cogswell announced today a decisive step forward in prioritizing the safety and well-being of Charleston residents and visitors. Effective immediately, the Charleston Police Department will deploy strategically positioned D.U.I. checkpoints throughout the city, including key exit and entry points on the peninsula.

“Our hearts ache for the loss of Lizzy and Arianna, two vibrant young women taken from us too soon due to a preventable tragedy,” stated Mayor Cogswell. “Their untimely deaths serve as a stark reminder of the critical importance of safeguarding our community against impaired driving. Charleston has zero tolerance for drunk driving. We owe it to our community and to Lizzy and Arianna’s families that tragedies like this never happen again.”

Since early March, the Charleston Police Department has made 92 impaired driving arrests across the city. Supplementing existing initiatives such as the Mayor’s King Street Safety Initiative, these checkpoints serve as an additional layer of protection, aiming to reduce crime throughout our city.

The checkpoints will be deployed beginning this weekend and will run in conjunction with impaired driving enforcement already ongoing in the city. Specific locations of the checkpoints will be announced this week.