DPS is stepping up enforcement Labor Day weekend in an effort to make the roads of Texas safer.

All available troopers will be on duty Friday, August 29 through Monday, September 1 looking for drunk drivers, speeders and seat belt violators.

“Alcohol is a big concern this time of year, because this is the last big recreational weekend of the summer,” said DPS Director Col. Thomas A. Davis Jr. “Simply put, drunk drivers are a menace on our roadways.”

DPS supports the “Drink. Drive. Go to Jail.” campaign and is also a participant in Operation CARE—Combined Accident Reduction Effort—a nationwide effort by police agencies to reduce fatalities on major interstate highways during holiday weekends.

A DWI conviction stays on an offender’s criminal and driving record forever. For the first offense, the law allows a maximum of six months in jail, a $2,000 fine and a one-year driver license suspension. A DWI conviction also carries a $1,000 surcharge for three years, in addition to any other fines or costs associated with the arrest.

During Labor Day last year, DPS troopers arrested 912 people for driving while intoxicated and issued nearly 16,000 speeding citations and more than 3,000 seat belt and child restraint tickets. In all, troopers wrote almost 34,000 tickets and 12,000 warnings in an effort to make driving safer during the Labor Day holiday last year.

“With extra enforcement from DPS and other law enforcement agencies, drivers who disregard traffic laws should expect their chances of getting a ticket or getting arrested for DWI to increase dramatically this weekend,” said Col. Davis.