(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) – The Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wildlife Troopers and Bureau of Highway Patrol Traffic Teams kept busy during the Fourth of July weekend watching the roads and meeting motorists statewide. From July 2 through 8 AM July 7th, troopers were conducting a focused enforcement effort aimed at getting motorists to follow the rules of the road.  From 07/02/14 at 0001 hours through 07/07/14 at 0800 hours, troopers took the following actions:

• 20 misdemeanor DUI arrests, 1 felony DUI Arrest
• 17 drivers charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license.
• 182 additional drivers contacted who were reported as REDDI reports and ultimately determined not to be DUI
• 22 damage only crashes, 3  injury crashes and 0 fatal collisions were investigated by troopers
• Of the 1351 citations issued, 759 were issued for speeding and 97 were issued for seatbelt or other occupant restraint violations

“For the Kenai Peninsula we had a huge increase of motorists on our roads driving to and from events and campgrounds,” said Alaska State Trooper Captain Andrew Greenstreet of E Detachment. “While we had a lot of contact with motorists, we are fortunate that there were no fatal traffic collisions on the Kenai Peninsula during the enforcement effort. Summer time, in general, draws big crowds down to the Peninsula as the camping and fishing are incredible. We really urge drivers to continue to be mindful of their safety and to be well rested and take breaks while they are driving to avoid any type of fatigue.”

Please remember that regardless of what your ultimate plans for any celebration, Troopers encourage you to always practice safe driving behaviors when getting behind the wheel or handlebars. The first step is by clicking your seat belt or wearing a helmet or life jacket when applicable. And as always, Troopers also encourage everyone to Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately by calling 9-1-1.

Funding for the focused highway enforcement was provided in part by grant sources distributed through the Alaska Highway Safety Office.

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