(La Porte, IN) - Police in La Porte will start another crack down on impaired drivers this week.

 

The department is joining law enforcement agencies statewide on beefing up patrols for the end of summer enforcement campaign.

 

Some police agencies plan to include sobriety checkpoints during the enforcement period that begins Friday and runs through September 2.

 

According to authorities, 20 percent of all traffic fatalities in Indiana last year involved a driver impaired by alcohol while nearly 25 percent of deaths on the road involved a driver impaired by drugs.

 

La Porte Police Chief Dick Buell said people drinking as summer winds down should use a designated driver or public transportation.

 

“We want our community members to understand that it’s our first priority to keep people safe, so we’re asking everyone to plan ahead if they know they’ll be out drinking. “Help us protect the community and put an end to this senseless behavior,” he said.

 

The effort is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through grants administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.