Highway Patrol to 'blitz' impaired drivers tonight

Utah Highway Patrol troopers will blitz Salt Lake County tonight as they look for impaired drivers.

From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., 14 additional troopers will work an overtime shift, more than doubling the normal contingent of troopers for that time frame.

"The big thing is this time of year when school gets out. There's a lot of people hitting the road," said Sgt. Wade Breur, UHP spokesman.

During the first couple weekends of the summer holiday season, the UHP uses federal grant money to fund overtime enforcement shifts that target impaired drivers, Breur said.

In Utah, no one may drive with a blood- or breath-alcohol content of .08 or greater.

Drivers under 21 may not have any measurable amount of alcohol, and drivers who are under the limit but sufficiently impaired may be subject to arrest, Breur said.

The UHP urges people who choose to drink to take precautions to maintain safety on Utah's roads.

"A designated driver is the best thing," Breur said. "Call someone to pick you up. Call a cab. Don't think that you have to get behind the wheel and drive."