'Tis the season to expect DUI patrols in Whitehall

As part of the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown, law enforcement agencies across Montana will deploy extra patrols for the specific purpose of deterring and detecting impaired drivers during the Holiday season. Saturation patrols for DUI enforcement are set through Jan. 1, 2017.

“We hope that knowing we have extra officers on the roads will be an added incentive for folks to plan a sober ride home,” stated Captain Gary Becker with the Montana Highway Patrol.

DUI arrests are part of an ongoing effort to reduce deadly drinking and driving in the state. In the last decade impaired drivers were involved in nearly 50 percent of all fatal crashes.

“It’s a serious task to get impaired drivers off the road. We work hard to prevent the tragedies that result from drinking and driving, but we can’t do it alone,” Becker said.

The Montana Department of Transportation and the Ronan Police Department are asking drivers and members of the public to do their part to save lives and prevent injuries on the roads. Here are some tips this holiday season:

—Alcohol can enhance the side effects of medication. Avoid mixing alcohol with any medications, and ask your doctor about possible consequences of doing so.

—If you plan to drink at a party, bar or restaurant, have a sober friend do the driving, or find another alternative.

—Expect your friends and family to have a sober driver and let them know it.

—Provide safe transportation for your party guests, as well as non-alcoholic beverages.

—Call 911 to report an impaired driver.

—The best defense against a drunk driver is wearing a seatbelt – everyone, every trip, and every time.

As part of this high-visibility enforcement effort, the Montana Highway Patrol troopers of the Safety Enforcement Traffic Team specializing in high-risk impaired driving enforcement, will be deployed in the Kalispell and Billings areas during this period.

Extra traffic safety patrols are funded by the Montana Department of Transportation.

This and other enforcement and education campaigns are combined under Vision Zero, the shared vision for zero deaths and zero serious injuries on Montana roadways. For more information contact Charity Watt, Montana Department of Transportation, at 406- 444-3439, cwatt@mt.gov.