Between Aug. 12 and Sept. 6, extra DUI patrols will travel King County roadways in search of impaired drivers.

The Drive Hammered, Get Nailed event will be the largest summer DUI enforcement campaign ever with 178 agencies participating throughout the state.

Participating locally in the Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign are the Algona, Auburn, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Burien, Clyde Hill, Covington, Des Moines, Duvall-Carnation, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Newcastle, Normandy Park, North Bend, Pacific, Port of Seattle, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, SeaTac, Seattle, Snoqualmie, Tukwila and Woodinville Police Departments, and the Washington State Patrol. The Bothell Police Department will also conduct patrols as part of the Snohomish County DUI and Target Zero Task Force.

It is important because during the summer months – July through September – Washington experiences the greatest number of alcohol or drug impaired driver-involved traffic deaths (31 percent of the total impaired driving deaths occurred during the summer months between 2000 and 2009). And Labor Day weekend is one of Washington’s deadliest holidays, averaging more than seven deaths each year.

Impaired driving is the leading factor in traffic deaths in Washington. Last year, impaired drivers contributed to the deaths of more than half of the 491 people who died on Washington’s roadways. The 264 impaired driver-involved deaths in 2009 represent a decrease of nine fatalities compared to the previous five-year average of 273.

For additional information about the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, visit www.wtsc.wa.gov.