With summer vacations planned, the Cole County Sheriff's Department will be doing increased DWI enforcement.
The department was awarded traffic grants to fund sobriety checkpoints, DWI enforcement and hazardous moving violations. Grant funds cover personnel, fuel and supply costs.
The current sheriff's department sobriety checkpoint program began in July 2006 with 20 checkpoints completed. The checkpoints are funded by the Missouri Division of Highway Safety and utilize paid deputies, volunteer reserve deputies, volunteer Sheriff's Posse members and select Haz Mat personnel.
Cole County Sheriff Greg White said he believes that due to DWI enforcement efforts like his department has done, the total number of Missouri traffic deaths declined to 757 in 2013, one of the lowest rates since the 1950s. Through June 10, there have been 302 deaths compared to 276 for the same period last year, a 9.4 increase increase.
One of the deadliest holiday's is the 4th of July, and the department plans to be out in force that weekend.
According to data from National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, during the 4th of July holiday period over the last five years (from 2008 to 2012), 765 people lost their lives in crashes involving drivers with a BAC of .08 or more. These fatalities account for 40 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities over this same five-year period.