(Editor’s Note: The following article was submitted by Wright County.)

As of Aug. 20, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the Minnesota Highway Patrol have begun increased impaired driver enforcement on Minnesota roads, which will run through Labor Day.

Its annual late-summer enforcement campaign is designed to educate and warn drivers of additional patrols on Minnesota highways because the number of DWI arrests are on the increase. Through Monday, Aug. 16, state law enforcement has recorded 15,154 DWI arrests – more than 800 higher than the same point last year.

Drivers are urged to get a designated driver or use a car service if they know they’re going to be out drinking and, as one of their message boards states, an Uber ride averages $24, while a DWI can cost an individual $10,000 or more – not to mention the danger they put themselves and other in when driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs..