AUSTIN, TX (AP) -- All available Texas troopers will be on patrol over the holidays at a time when drinking and driving usually go up.
The Department of Public Safety on Monday said troopers also will concentrate on speeders and seat belt violators.
DPS says increased enforcement will be in effect Wednesday through Sunday, covering the Christmas period, and then Dec. 31 and New Year's Day.
Troopers during the same periods one year ago issued about 28,000 citations and 14,000 warnings. Most of the tickets were for speeding, approximately 19,600, while nearly 3,400 tickets were for seat belt violations. DPS troopers also made 919 arrests for driving while intoxicated.
DPS says its figures suggest tickets and drunken driving arrests double during holiday enforcement periods.
The agency also reminds drivers to slow down during bad weather, in construction areas and during heavy traffic.
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