The sobriety checkpoints planned for Santa Barbara this weekend will funnel limited state and federal grant money away from measures that have proven to be most effective in combating drunk driving.Because they are highly visible by design and publicized in advance, roadblocks are all too easily avoided by the chronic alcohol abusers who comprise the core of today’s drunken-driving problem.Conversely, the number of DUI arrests made by roving patrol programs is nearly 10 times the average number of DUIs made by checkpoint programs, according to testimony by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation official.By focusing scarce law-enforcement resources on roadblocks, Santa Barbara police will strip California’s roadways of their most valuable tool for catching drunken drivers. Santa Barbara residents and taxpayers would benefit from employing the most effective tactics to catch drunken drivers: roving police patrols.Sarah LongwellManaging director, American Beverage InstituteWashington, D.C.