If you drink and drive in Duneland beware.

The Northern Porter County Traffic Safety Partnership (NPCTSP)—comprised of the Chesterton, Porter, Burns Harbor, and Ogden Dunes police departments—is joining with law enforcement agencies throughout the nation for the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, starting on Friday, Aug. 17 and ending on Monday, Sept. 3.

This aggressive nationwide impaired driving crackdown will include high-visibility enforcement, high-profile events, and will be supported by national paid advertising, creating a comprehensive campaign to curb alcohol impaired driving in August and through the Labor Day holiday weekend (6 p.m. Sept. 3- 5:59 a.m. Sept. 7).

The NPCTSF said that its officers will be aggressively looking for impaired drivers during the crackdown and will arrest anyone caught driving impaired.

It is illegal in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter. Despite these laws, in 2010 more than 10,000 people died in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider was impaired.

“On average there is one alcohol impaired driving-related fatality every 51 minutes across America. But this tragic loss of life can be reduced if we get impaired drivers off our roadways,” said CPD Lt. Dave Lohse. “Research has shown that high-visibility enforcement like the 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' campaign reduces alcohol-impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent. By joining this nationwide effort, we will make Duneland’s roadways safer for everyone throughout the Labor Day period.”

In 2011, there were 4,938 alcohol-related traffic crashes in Indiana. During the 2011 Labor Day holiday period (Sept. 2-6), there were 111 alcohol-related crashes in Indiana where only a driver was impaired. During last year’s Labor Day Crackdown, there were 13,465 citations issued, 824 misdemeanor DUIs, and 141 felony DUIs.

Among 18- to 34-year-old drivers killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes nationwide, during the 2010 Labor Day weekend, 54 percent were alcohol-impaired.

“Obviously we want to remind everyone that it is illegal to drive impaired, and we hope the campaign will remind people that if they plan on drinking, to never get behind the wheel,” Lohse said. “But if someone does choose to drive impaired, we will arrest them. No warnings. No excuses.”

“Driving impaired is simply not worth the risk. So don’t take the chance. Remember, we will be out in force and we will be watching, so ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,’” Lohse added.