BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland State Police will be increasing patrols across the state ahead of the Cinco de Mayo weekend in an effort to reduce impaired driving.

The Maryland State Police said they will be increasing saturation patrols statewide and at each barrack. Troopers will be looking out for distracted, aggressive, and impaired drivers.

The increased patrols are a part of the Maryland State Police’s Impaired Driving Reduction Effort. A portion of the costs for the increased patrols will be paid by the Maryland Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office.

The Maryland State Police said they plan on using a variety of patrol initiatives to keep traffic moving during Cinco de Mayo weekend. They include respond quickly to highway incidents and take appropriate enforcement actions when violations are observed.

The Maryland Department of Transportation said 169 lives are lost on average each year as a result of impaired driving. Over 2,900 people are injured. 800 people have lost their lives in car crashes involving impaired drivers in the past five years in Maryland.

Officials say you can help reduce impaired driving by using rideshare services, taxis, designating a sober driver or public transportation.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.