DUI Patrols Are Active

Statewide – The Fourth of July is celebrated with picnics and parades, family cookouts and fireworks. But it’s also a holiday known for the deadly results of drinking and driving. Alcohol-related crash deaths and injuries have helped Independence Day be labeled as “the most dangerous holiday of the year” by the National Safety Council.

In the effort to get unsafe drivers off the roads, law enforcement agencies around the state, including the Montana Highway Patrol, are deploying additional patrols focused on impaired driving enforcement. DUI patrols during the two-week period surrounding the Fourth of July weekend are part of a national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign supported by the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT).

“Local officers and deputies work together with MHP troopers to identify and apprehend impaired drivers. Communications and training have made these added patrol deployments very effective to prevent impaired driving,” said Mike Tooley, the director of the Montana Department of Transportation.

Law enforcement will coordinate saturation patrols, especially in high-risk areas. The Montana Highway Patrol and local officers will also focus on travelers attending various events, festivals and pow wows scheduled during or around the holiday period.

“Our goal is to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on Montana roads—and we need everyone to do their part. You can help by calling 911 to report an impaired driver and by making sure you and your friends and family are buckled up and have a sober ride,” Tooley said.

Impaired driving enforcement is one focus of Vision Zero, zero deaths and zero serious injuries on Montana roadways. Learn more at mdt.mt.gov/visionzero.