South Lake Tahoe Police Department will be out in full force this week targeting those who drink and drive. DUI saturation patrols/DUI checkpoints will be deployed during the long holiday weekend.

The deterrent effect of DUI checkpoints is a proven resource in reducing the number of people killed and injured in alcohol or drug involved crashes, according to officers. Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized DUI checkpoints and proactive DUI patrols are conducted routinely.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department will be conducting a DUI checkpoint along Lake Tahoe Boulevard From 8pm July 1 to 1am July 2.

NHTSA data also reveals that 35 percent of young drivers (18 to 34) were driving drunk (BAC of 0.08 or higher) in fatal crashes over the July 4 period in 2013. Motorcycle operators are also overrepresented as the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired drivers in fatal crashes. In 2013, more than one-quarter (27 percent) of motorcycle operators in fatal crashes had BACs of 0.08 or higher.

Drunken drivers are more common at night, too. Over the July 4 holiday in 2013, more than two fifths (42 percent) of the drivers in nighttime fatal crashes (6pm-6am) were alcohol-impaired, as compared to 13 percent of drivers in fatal crashes during the day.