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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Fifty law enforcement agencies across the state are adding extra patrols for Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over traffic safety enforcement this month. Last year in North Dakota, the month of October ranked the highest for alcohol-related crashes with a total of 100—a rate of 3.23 per day.

“Our job is to save lives by preventing crashes before they happen, and with the presence of extra patrols during this enforcement, we hope drivers will make the right choice to drive sober,” said Jamestown Chief of Police Scott Edinger. The North Dakota Highway Patrol and Sheriffs’ Departments in Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Griggs, LaMoure, Logan and Stutsman counties are fielding extra patrols in October, along with Police Departments in Carrington, Jamestown, Oakes and Valley City.

“October is a scary month for the number of alcohol-related crashes,” added Chief Edinger. “We have early dark and a lot of Halloween pedestrians and activities, plus the start of icy and wet road conditions. Do yourself and your passengers a favor and drive sober.”

The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) grants funds for extra DUI enforcement as part of an overall effort to reduce deaths and injuries on North Dakota roads.

“A crash where alcohol and/or drugs is involved is not the result of a random chance—it’s the result of a driver’s choice to get behind the wheel while impaired and put lives in jeopardy, including their own,” said Karin Mongeon, NDDOT Safety Division Director. “Impaired driving crashes are 100 percent preventable,” Mongeon added.