Holiday blitz targets DWI statewide

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - More than a hundred people have been killed in alcohol related crashes in New Mexico so far this year, and the state doesn't want there to be anymore.

The winter DWI Superblitz starts statewide on Friday.

That means checkpoints and extra officers hitting the highways looking for drunk drivers through the holidays.

The state will kick off the campaign against DWI with a chilling TV ad.

On Thursday Gov. Bill Richardson announced he's determined to keep New Mexico roads safe as people travel to and from family gatherings and parties over the holidays.

As part of the winter Superblitz there will be more officers on the streets, more sobriety checkpoints and more saturation patrols than usual.

"Too often have people been killed and lives ruined over this issue," John Denko, state secretary of public safety, said.

Albuquerque's DWI Resource Center also announced a program funded through the U.S. Department of Justice. It provides counties across the state with maps that show high risk areas for DWI crashes.

That way police know which places to target.

The state gets $6-$8 million a year in federal grants to pay for all the overtime and ad campaigns.

The Superblitz starts Friday and ends Jan. 3.