May 16th, 2016 by WCBC Radio

Although Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of summertime fun for some, Troopers in Western Maryland want to ensure that fun does not include drinking and driving.

In a preemptive move to educate and enforce drinking and driving laws before the holiday, Maryland State Police will be scheduling sobriety checkpoints this weekend all across the western four counties. Each local state police barrack will host a checkpoint within their county at unspecified locations. The purpose of the checkpoints is getting out the word about the dangers of drinking and drugged driving.  As of May 16^th Troopers from Western Maryland have made 229 drunken driving arrests. Drunk driving continues to be one of the leading causes of vehicle fatalities.

The motoring public should use caution and observe signage in the locations where the checkpoints are being held. Troopers will be on foot issuing informational pamphlets and speaking to drivers during these operations, in an effort to reinforce the importance of driving sober.