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UPDATE: Las Vegas valley police stepping up Labor Day DUI crackdown

Posted at 5:49 AM, Sep 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-05 08:49:48-04

UPDATE SEPT 5: Police forces are teaming up to crack down on impaired driving in Las Vegas and the Lake Mead Recreation Area over Labor Day weekend.

On the road and on the water, police will be hunting for anyone putting others in danger by driving while under the influence.

The Nevada Highway Patrol and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's joint DUI Strike Force is teaming up with the National Parks Service and Nevada Department of Wildlife to increase patrols on the waters of Lake Mead and surrounding roadways.

Police say the Strike Force will assist in evidence collection when arrests are made at the lake and patrol surrounding roadways to ensure anyone leaving the lake hasn't been drinking.

They say drinking is one of the top five causes of boating accidents.

The DUI Strike Team has arrested 892 people for DUI since the beginning of 2020 and passed the 2,000 arrest mark in July.

ORIGINAL STORY SEPT. 4: Safety on the roads is also top of mind this Labor Day weekend.

Each year, people in Nevada are killed or injured because someone selfishly made the poor decision to drive impaired or speed.

RELATED: Las Vegas a 'bargain' for Labor Day weekend, up to 150K visitors expected amid pandemic

Authorities want to stop these incidents from happening. So, you may notice extra patrols on the highways over the next 10 days.

As we look ahead to Labor Day, authorities are reminding us we are still within what's called the 100 deadliest days on the roads. That's between Memorial and Labor Day.

Right now, police are out in full force to crack down on impaired drivers. Multiple law enforcement agencies are aggressively seeking out impaired drivers in a joining forces campaign. It will last until Sept. 13.

Labor Day Celebrations in Las Vegas | 2020

The DUI strike team will be able to test the alcohol content in your blood and breathalyze you on the spot if you are pulled over.

Andrew Bennett with the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety says there are 2 things everyone should consider this weekend.

"Every time someone leaves their house - or leaves a party or leaves a restaurant they don't believe that they're going to be the one involved in a fatal crash. And we want to prevent that as much as possible you know by asking them to do two simple things: Number one is always drive sober and number two is to slow down."

To help you get home safely, Bennett says the coalition has also pledged one thousand dollars to give people free Lyft credits to reduce crashes caused by impaired drivers. The promo code is "SafeLDW2020." It should give you two five-dollar credits. You can use it starting Monday, Sept. 7 at 12 a.m. through Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 11:30 p.m.

You can call 911 or star NHP if you're on the freeway to report an impaired driver.