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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The North Dakota Highway Patrol as well as local police and sheriff agencies in the state were busy during the month of March after increasing patrols to crackdown on drunk drivers.

According to the North Dakota Department of Transportation, crews put in over 1,300 overtime hours, resulting in 1,336 traffic stops across North Dakota with 158 arrests and/or citations being alcohol or drug-related. The NDDOT says these numbers were reported from 44 participating law enforcement agencies.

A total of 834 citations were attributed to the added patrols with 93 accounting for driving under the influence (DUI) arrests or refusal of a test. There were another 27 arrests or citations for other alcohol-related violations and 38 drug-related arrests. Tickets for speeding were the largest portion of the citations at 270. The traffic stops also resulted in one felony violation arrest.

The primary goal of high-visibility enforcement in March was to prevent impaired driving, especially during the time period around the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. Funding for additional traffic safety enforcement is provided by federal grant money distributed through the NDDOT. High-visibility enforcement for traffic safety is one element of a collaborative effort to eliminate motor vehicle deaths in North Dakota.