V.  RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Connecticut Roadside Survey

F. Driver Exposure to Enforcement Message

Part of the brief interaction with drivers at sobriety checkpoints to obtain a BAC involved asking whether they had read, seen, or heard about any special police efforts to enforce the laws against drinking and driving.  As indicated in Table 26, significantly more drivers indicated that they had seen or heard something about special police efforts to enforce the drinking and driving laws after the July 4th holiday period compared to those asked before the holiday period began (χ²(1)=24.03,  p<.001).  However, there was not a similar increase after the winter holiday enforcement period ended compared to the pre-winter roadside survey responses.  Newspapers were the most commonly cited source for those who had read, seen, or heard something, with television being the second-most-cited source.  One possible reason for newspapers as the most commonly cited source was that police agencies in Connecticut must notify the public of upcoming sobriety checkpoints and these notices are always made in the local newspapers.  Thus, drivers from these towns, especially those where many sobriety checkpoints were held, had a much higher chance of seeing something about the sobriety checkpoints than those watching television.

Table 26. Connecticut Roadside Survey: Whether and Where in the Past Month Respondents Had Seen, Heard, or Read About Any Special Police Efforts to Enforce the Law Against Drinking and Driving