The Treasure Valley’s DUI task force is set to launch next week, in anticipation of New Year’s celebrations.
The multi-day enforcement operation will run from Dec. 31 through Jan. 4 and bring heightened patrols to the roadways. Impaired drivers will be identified and removed to improve public safety and prevent deaths from impaired driving, an Idaho Transportation Department release said. State, county and city law enforcement agencies — including the Boise, Caldwell, Garden City, Meridian and Nampa police departments, Ada County and Canyon County sheriff’s offices and Idaho State Police — will be participating in the collaborative effort to curb drunk-driving incidents at a time when they are historically at a high-point.
National data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that impaired driving for the month of December in particular has worsened in recent years . In 2022 — the most recent year for which data is available — the NHTSA recorded more than 1,062 deaths from drunk driving traffic crashes in December, the highest since 2007.