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North Dakota Highway Patrol will be conducting their first area saturation patrol of 2012 in Barnes, Cass, Richland and Trail Counties on Friday and Saturday.

Troopers with the patrol will be out on days off and working overtime during the time period, with the purpose of deterring and detecting impaired drivers and removing them from the roadways.

In North Dakota, the use of alcohol is still the leading cause of fatal crashes on the roads. Last year alone, there were 130 fatal crashes resulting in 148 deaths; 52 of which were determined to be alcohol related.