Sobriety checkpoints set along Oklahoma roads on Independence Day

ARDMORE, Oklahoma (KXII) – While fireworks, family and friends may be the focus of the Fourth of July — creating a plan to get home safe deserves just as much attention.

To help ensure everyone gets home safe, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) will set up sobriety checkpoints along major roadways in Oklahoma on the Fourth of July.

“There are gonna be some checkpoints, I know in Mayes County and some of the other counties, law enforcement are planning to have sobriety checkpoints set up there,” OHP Trooper and Impaired Driving Liaison Mike Shanholtzer said.

These checkpoints are a part of the Oklahoma ENDUI program created by then-Governor Mary Fallin in 2013.

The ENDUI program utilizes community education, officer training, and increased patrols on the nights surrounding major holidays to reduce the number of accidents involving drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Shanholtzer said, if you’re planning to drink and head home, calling a sober friend or a rideshare service is a must.

“Have things lined up,” he said. “Don’t get a position where, ‘oh no, I’ve had a couple beers and I don’t feel like I should drive but I’m gonna try and make it home,’ that’s not what we want.”

However, Shanholtzer said no matter what your plans are, it’s important to pay extra attention while on the roads this weekend.

“Be more attentive, realize there’s going to be a lot of traffic, that we have people that are going to use drugs or alcohol, people that aren’t paying attention,” he said. “If you are hyper vigilant and paying attention, you may be able to avoid a crash even if it’s someone else’s actions that could have caused it.”

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