Muskogee Police Make Checkpoints Due To The City Having High Vehicle Accident Rates

Muskogee Police Make Checkpoints Due To The City Having High Vehicle Accident Rates

The Muskogee Police Department says the city has one of the highest vehicle accident rates per capita in Oklahoma. For the month of September, officers will have random safety checkpoints across the city.

These checkpoints don’t only check for impaired drivers. Officers are looking for uninsured drivers, brake lights and headlights out, and make sure they have a drivers license.

Police tell say the goal of these checkpoints is two-fold, reduce criminal activity and make roads safer for drivers.

 “So many times someone gets involved in an accident and the person doesn’t have a valid drivers license or they don’t have insurance so then the victim in that accident has to pay for it out of their insurance,” said Officer Lynn Hamlin, Muskogee Police.

Dave Breman says he lost his son four years ago in a hit-and-run accident, so he supports anything to make the roads safer. 

“I have full coverage on my car. What it does is it raises rates, makes me responsible, makes other people who have insurance responsible for something that they did not cause," said Breman.

These checkpoints will be at random intersections around the city.

Officers will stop all drivers and check for insurance, drivers license, proper equipment and that they’re sober.

Hamlin says they aren’t doing this just to hand out tickets.

 “We want people to know that it’s going to happen. If you don’t have your things current, we want you to have the opportunity,” said Hamlin. “We aren’t out there because we want to issue the tickets. We just want everyone to be following the laws.”

She says after warning the city about these checkpoints, there have been some negative reactions. 

“The whole purpose of it is to save someone the hardship of a financial burden by being involved in an accident. Whether it’s someone with no insurance or a drunk driver, the purpose is to help the citizens in Muskogee,” said Hamlin. 

Hamlin says these checkpoints are being done around the country and they have been successful here in Muskogee.