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Phoenix police say more and more drivers are turning to their Twitter and Facebook pages to warn other motorists of police checkpoints and stretches of road with large police presences to help folks avoid getting dreaded DUIs.
As far as having their cover blown, police say they don’t really care — they often advertise DUI sweeps and checkpoints as a deterrent. However, they are concerned with people who may be tweeting while they’re supposed to be driving.
Police suspect that many of the often worthless warnings are cast into cyberspace via-Smartphones — like the iPhone or a Blackerry — while people are driving their cars.
In a world where texting while driving is now deemed as dangerous as driving hammered, updating Facebook or Twitter statuses is also a no-no.
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“That brief fraction of a second that it takes to send a message, to hit a key or find a key, can be deadly,” Phoenix police spokesman Tommy Thompson tells CBS 5.
Thompson points out that warning other motorists of DUI checkpoints is not a crime but warns that in Phoenix, texting while driving is a secondary offense and anyone caught doing so may be ticketed.
