Law enforcement agencies will be cracking down on impaired drivers as part of a statewide DWI enforcement effort from Aug. 20 through Sept. 6. The three weekends this enforcement period covers were among the top 11 deadliest weekends of the year for drunk driving deaths over the last three years.

The effort is coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Office of Traffic Safety. Around 400 Minnesota law enforcement agencies will participate in the effort aimed toward taking impaired drivers off the road and encouraging motorists to make safe decisions. Last year, alcohol-related crashes factored in 141 deaths of 421 total road fatalities.

Officers will combine DWI patrols with seat belt enforcement as each year 75 percent of drinking drivers killed are also not belted. Minnesota’s primary seat belt law requires drivers and passengers in all seating positions — including the back seat — to be buckled up or in the correct child restraint. Law enforcement will stop and ticket drivers and passengers solely for seat belt violations.

“If you don’t want to get arrested for DWI, if you don’t want to kill or injure yourself or others, if you don’t want your life turned upside down — get in the habit of planning for a safe and sober ride,” said Albert Lea Police Lt. J.D. Carlson. “It’s that simple, the fight against drunk driving has gone on long enough. There’s no excuse for driving impaired.”

DPS reports enhanced DWI enforcement campaigns factored in the state tallying a record-low number of alcohol-related deaths in 2009. Last year, 141 motorists were killed in alcohol-related crashes — three in Freeborn County. Despite the drop in deaths, DPS reports alcohol-related crashes still accounted for more than one-third of all road deaths — matching historical trends.

During 2007-09, there were 1,386 traffic deaths statewide of which 494 motorists alcohol-related. During that same time period 107,376 motorists were arrested for DWI — 32,759 last year. In Freeborn County during 2007-2009, there were 26 traffic deaths of which five were alcohol-related. Another 542 motorists were arrested for DWI — one in seven Minnesota drivers has a DWI on record. The local economic impact of alcohol-related fatalities was $6,160,000.

Minnesota law states that motorists can be arrested for impaired driving even if their alcohol-concentration level is under 0.08 if they demonstrate impaired driving behavior. The consequences of a DWI can vary depending on many factors including alcohol-concentration, previous offenses and if there was an injury related to a crash. A first-time DWI offense will trigger an automatic driver’s license revocation for up to a year. The cost of a DWI can reach $20,000 when factoring legal, court and other administrative fees.

Those arrested for DWI now have an option to regain their driving privileges sooner by having an interlock device installed in their vehicle. Potential participants of the Minnesota Ignition Interlock Program can learn more at www.minnesotaignitioninterlock.org. Interlock devices are installed in vehicles and require a driver to provide a breath sample in order for the vehicle to start. Safety officials say interlocks ensure DWI offenders are driving legally and safely. Interlocks will be required by law beginning in July 1, 2011, for certain DWI offenders.

Carlson reminded Freeborn County motorists, especially young adults, to plan ahead for a safe ride home before celebrating. Young people continue to be the primary violators when it comes to impaired driving offenses. Statewide from 2007-09, nearly 32,000 motorists 24 years of age and younger were arrested for DWI. In Freeborn County, 180 motorists arrested for DWI were age 24 and younger — including 60 under the legal drinking age.

The enforcement and education effort is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and is a component of the state’s Toward Zero Deaths traffic safety program. The program is the state’s core traffic safety program that uses a multidisciplinary approach to address traffic issues regionally through enforcement, education, engineering and emergency trauma care. The goal of the TZD is fewer than 400 road deaths by 2010.