(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) – Alaska State Troopers concluded its concentrated enforcement effort to keep the roads safe this holiday season. The ramped up effort that started Dec. 13 and ended Jan. 1 was part of the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” national DUI enforcement campaign.

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

Alaska State Troopers efforts during the time period resulted in:

• 51 misdemeanor DUI arrests, 5 felony DUI Arrests
• 64 drivers charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license.
• 239 additional drivers contacted who were reported as REDDI reports and ultimately determined not to be DUI
• 260 damage only crashes, 21 injury crashes and 2 fatal collision were investigated by troopers
• Of the 1095 citations issued, 208 were issued for speeding and 33 were issued for seatbelt or other occupant restraint violations

This includes statistics garnered through normal patrols as well as the extra enforcement.

In addition to the robust enforcement, the Department of Public Safety launched its yearly public service announcement with a Christmas jingle urging people to “Call a cab or call a friend/You’ll get home safe tonight.” Boosting public awareness regarding the dangers of impaired driving, along with other driver behavior issues, help decrease the number of fatal and serious injury crashes. (Link to video)

Besides looking for impaired drivers, troopers were looking for speeding, reckless and aggressive driving, as well as driver inattention – all factors that contribute to injury and death on Alaska’s roads. The goal was to ensure people enjoyed the holidays by celebrating safely and to keep it a season of joy instead of tragedy.