St. Lawrence County police agencies will participate in a statewide STOP-DWI Fourth of July Crackdown Enforcement Effort July 4 to July 8.

This iconic American holiday is one of the "deadliest holidays of the year" due to impaired driving crashes, according to St. Lawrence County STOP-DWI.

County law enforcement agencies will participate in a special enforcement effort to crack down on impaired driving this week.

The New York State Police, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and municipal law enforcement agencies will collaborate across the state and will be out in force in this coordinated effort to aggressively target those who put lives in danger.

Law enforcement will vigorously enforce laws related to driving while impaired with special emphasis on impaired driving either by alcohol or drugs.

“There will be no warnings,” said Michele James, St. Lawrence County STOP-DWI. “Our message is simple—Don’t drink or drug and drive. Have a plan to get home safely. Don’t Drive, Get a Ride. Violators will lose their licenses, pay increased insurance rates, fines, surcharges and DMV fees, and may have an ignition interlock device installed in their vehicle.”

While STOP-DWI claims its efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the numbers of alcohol and drug related fatalities, still too many lives are being lost because of crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers, James says. Highly visible, highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI Crackdown Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving.

All drinking driving fines collected from convicted drunk drivers fund the St. Lawrence County STOP-DWI Program