LISBON — Police Chief David Brooks announced Thursday that his department has received $2,600 to conduct extra road checks for drunken drivers from now through Sept. 6.

Officers will patrol all areas of town, as well as set up checkpoints in an effort to get impaired drivers off roads.

The crackdown is part of an intensive nationwide program that has as its slogan, Drunk Driving, Over the Limit, Under Arrest.

“Our message is short and to the point: If we catch you driving impaired we will arrest you. No exceptions,” Brooks said.

It is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or above.

While statistics show that the number of impaired drivers has declined nationwide, the number is still too high, he said. The most recent statistics show that 32 percent of fatalities in motor vehicle accidents involved a driver with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or higher. The highest percentage of these drivers were between the ages of 21 and 24, he said.

“All too often, innocent law-abiding people suffer tragic consequences,  including the loss of loved ones, due to this careless disregard for human life. And because of this we are committed to ending this carnage and intensifying enforcement during the crackdown, especially during high-risk nighttime hours when impaired drivers are most likely to be on our roads,” Brooks said.

Money for the patrols comes from the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety.

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