(SitNews) - It is the time of year when holiday parties are in full swing. While drinking is often a part of many holiday celebrations, driving impaired should not be. The Alaska State Troopers encourage motorists to make smart choices this season and always have a plan to get home safely. If you consume drugs or alcohol, plan to either stay the night or to have a sober driver in charge of operating your vehicle.

Regardless of what your ultimate plans are for Christmas and New Year's Eve, troopers encourage you to always practice safe driving behaviors on the roads while traveling to and from your destination. Always have a plan to celebrate safely and responsibly.

In an effort to ensure people are safely enjoying the upcoming holidays, Alaska State Troopers will join the hustle and bustle on the highways while looking for impaired motorists. Although troopers will focus on DUI enforcement, they will also watch for speeding, aggressive driving, distracted driving and people not wearing their seatbelts. The intention of the focused enforcement is to prevent families from dealing with a major-injury or fatal collision on Alaska's roads on what should be a joyous occasion.

The Christmas/New Year holiday enforcement effort effort began on December 12th and is more than halfway complete. The enhanced patrols will continue through January 1. From the beginning of the campaign on Dec. 12 through Dec. 20, the following has occurred statewide:

14 misdemeanor DUI arrests, 0 felony DUI Arrests
14 drivers charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license.
100 additional drivers contacted who were reported as REDDI reports and ultimately determined not to be DUI
85 damage-only crashes, 14 injury crashes and 1 fatal collision were investigated by troopers
Of the 262 citations issued, 53 were issued for speeding and 11 were issued for seatbelt or other occupant restraint violations

The focused enforcement conducted by the Alaska State Troopers over the Thanksgiving holiday reported the following statewide:

27 misdemeanor DUI arrests, 3 felony DUI Arrests
24 drivers charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license.
133 additional drivers contacted who were reported as REDDI reports and ultimately determined not to be DUI
71 damage only crashes 14 injury crashes and 2 fatal collision were investigated by troopers
Of the 516 citations issued, 227 were issued for speeding and 12 were issued for seatbelt or other occupant restraint violations

Troopers encourage everyone to Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately by calling 9-1-1.

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News: 

Alaska Department of Public Safety
www.dps.state.ak.us

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