Local law enforcement will keep a sharper eye on potential drunken drivers Saturday for St. Patrick’s Day.
The Vancouver and Battle Ground police departments, Clark County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol will have additional officers enforcing DUI laws, according to a Thursday news release. WSP and Vancouver police will also have the Mobile Impaired Unit, a self-contained 36-foot motor home that has been retrofitted as a mobile DUI processing center and incident command post, staged in Vancouver.
The motor home is equipped with three breath-testing instruments, two temporary holding cells, three computer workstations, an incident command computer terminal and a dispatcher console with wireless access to WSP dispatch centers, according to the news release. The additional patrols are funded by grants from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
“St. Patrick’s Day is traditionally one of the deadliest holidays on our nation’s roads,” the news release reads. “Alcohol and drug impaired driving is the leading contributing factor in Washington fatal crashes, with alcohol and cannabis being the most common combination of intoxicants.”
Those who witness suspected impaired drivers are encouraged to call 911.
