With an increase in traffic expected on the highways this holiday weekend, police departments throughout the Philadelphia area will be cracking down on drivers who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

KYW’s Brad Segall reports that local police departments use grants from Penndot to pay police overtime to put more patrols on the roads and to set up checkpoints looking for impaired drivers.

Haverford Township police chief Carmen Pettine (above) says his department will be one of several throughout the suburbs taking part this year in the operation which has been dubbed “Over The Limit, Under Arrest.”

(Pettine:)   “Our message is simple and unwavering: if we find you drunk, we will arrest you.  No excuses, no exceptions, and zero tolerance.”

DUI convictions carry strong penalties which include jail time and license suspension. Repeat offenders are also required to equip their cars with an ignition interlock system which requires a driver to blow into a tube before starting the car.

Sixteen people died on Pennsylvania highways during the Labor Day holiday last year.

(Photo by KYW’s Brad Segall)