The Suffolk County Police Department on Tuesday announced they are implementing DWI patrols and checkpoints during the holiday season.
"Don't drink and drive," said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine. "If you're drinking, get a designated driver."
The announcement came alongside survivors of drunk driving and family members of drunk driving victims who shared their stories of the risks some are taking getting behind the wheel.
The McMorris family lost their 12-year-old son, Andrew, when his boy scout troop was mowed down by a drunk driver. And the Carpenter family, who lost their 22-year-old son Timothy to a driver on drugs.
"I cradled my son's face on his deathbed and I wet his cheeks with my tears as he drifted away from us," said Alisa McMorris, Andrew's mother. "And I made a promise as a mother, father and sister. Were so sorry that we could not protect him."
Officials in Suffolk County called the DUI crash rates in the county awful and among the worst in the region.
"Given the geography, we're consistently at the top end of that list unfortunately," said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
Suffolk officials also acknowledged patrols will be heightened near religious institutions on days of observance and near business districts during major consumer events.
Twenty-seven drivers were arrested in Suffolk County on Thanksgiving weekend last year alone.
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West Babylon man charged with DWI after crashing into neighbor's home
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