The Camden County Sheriff’s Office will be joining in two statewide efforts to reduce traffic crashes.

March 14 through March 17 the Camden County Sheriff’s Office will be stepping up patrols looking for impaired drivers.

March 15 through March 31 Camden County Sheriff’s Deputies will be concentrating on teen seatbelt enforcement.

The enforcement efforts are being paid for by a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation, Highway Safety Division.

Sheriff Franklin said he has a goal to reduce DWI fatal accidents to zero. Sheriff Franklin said there is no excuse for anyone to get behind the wheel and drive while impaired. Give someone else the keys, ask friends to give you a ride, or have a designated sober driver.

The Sheriff also said there is no reason we can’t see a reduction in injury and fatality accidents by simply wearing a seatbelt. It only takes a second to put that seatbelt on and reduce the danger of sustaining serious or fatal injuries in an accident. Teen drivers are more prone to risk taking and sometimes do not recognize the need to buckle up. We hope this enforcement effort increases the use of seatbelts by teen drivers.

Sergeant Moulder said “fatalities are already up across the state this early in the year. Enforcement efforts such as this are mean to reduce behavior that contributes to accidents. Vehicles accidents cause billions of dollars in lost wages, medical expenses, and lost productivity. Statewide projects such as these remind drivers of risky behavior and allows them to take corrective action.”