In 2008, alcohol was a contributing factor in more than 40 percent of all fatal motor-vehicle crashes, and more than 50 percent of all fatal motorcycle crashes, in Wisconsin. The total number of fatalities involving alcohol was 234, with more than 4,000 persons injured.

Alcohol-impaired driving contributed to other high-risk behaviors that increased the likelihood of a crash causing injury or death; these included speeding and failure to wear safety belts.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, our state has the highest rate of drunken driving in the nation. There were 42,000 convictions for Operating While Intoxicated in Wisconsin in 2008; these, of course, were just the ones who were caught. And, unless you've responded to one, the average citizen has no idea of the carnage and slaughter that is typical of many, if not most, OWI-related crashes.

Clearly, drunken driving remains a serious issue in Wisconsin, and Racine County is not immune to the problem. Fortunately, WisDOT approved and is funding a Highway Safety grant for Racine County to provide extra patrols on specified roadways to help deal with this problem. Called "Alcohol Enforcement 2009," participating agencies include the Racine County Sheriff's Department, Racine Police Department, Village of Mount Pleasant Police Department, and Village of Caledonia Police Department.

The grant provides funding for deputies and police officers to work on an overtime basis on roadways that WisDOT has identified as problematic areas, based on their analysis of alcohol and speed-related crash data for the most recent three-year period. The grant stipulates that patrols be deployed between the hours of 6 p.m. and 4 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday. A number of these "saturation patrols" are required to be worked in conjunction with various holidays, such as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day.

All vehicle stops made by law enforcement officers are based on reasonable suspicion or probable cause; all arrests are made based on probable cause. The primary aim is to legally identify and apprehend drunken drivers, but it is only natural that many other violations will be detected in a program such as this. Sheriff's Department deputies made a total of 236 arrests for the 2008 grant; these included such things as speeding, operating after revocation and warrant apprehensions, as well as 33 OWI arrests.

We do not operate this program secretively or on a "gotcha!" basis. I mentioned our hours of operation earlier in this commentary, and I did so with a purpose. The hours and weekdays mentioned are those which, statistically, present the greatest number of OWI offenders. By making it known that we are enhancing our enforcement efforts during these times, we may be causing vehicle operators to act more responsibly during a time when they stand a good chance of being apprehended by law enforcement.

One of the stated objectives of this program is "To adopt a zero-tolerance policy for impaired driving during all motor vehicle stops." It is my hope that every resident in Racine County, and throughout our state, adopts a personal zero-tolerance policy regarding drinking and driving.

Robert Carlson is sheriff of Racine County.