Several St. Lawrence County law enforcement agencies are participating in a special crackdown on impaired driving through the end of the year, according to the St. Lawrence County STOP-DWI program.

As part of the New York State STOP-DWI enforcement crackdowns, St. Lawrence County STOP DWI will be working with New York State Police, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s office, Potsdam Police Department, Norwood Police Department and New York State Park Police Department in their efforts to protect everyone from impaired drivers either by alcohol or other drugs during the holidays.

The statewide efforts are already underway and will end on Jan. 1. The holiday season is historically a deadly period for impaired driving, the county STOP-DWI said. New York State Police, county sheriff’s offices and municipal law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force in this across the board effort to reduce the number of alcohol and drug related injuries and deaths.

St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin M. Wells says all impaired driving, whether it is alcohol, other legal drugs or illegal substances, is a problem in St. Lawrence County and local, county and state law enforcement personnel are trained, prepared and motivated to combat this issue.

“Whether it is buzzed driving or drugged driving it is still illegal and poses a danger to all motorists and innocent victims that many times are affected by the actions of these irresponsible drivers,” a statement from the county STOP-DWI program reads.

While STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the numbers of alcohol and drug related fatalities, still too many lives are being lost because of crashes caused by impaired drivers. Highly visible, highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI Crackdown Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of substance impaired driving.

There is now a mobile application to help people plan to have a designated sober driver.

The “Have A Plan” Mobile App was created for New York State in an effort to prevent impaired driving”, said Michele James, St. Lawrence County STOP-DWI coordinator. “We want people to enjoy themselves, but we also want them to get home safely. This free mobile app helps its users do that by placing a tool in the hands of a potentially impaired driver to find a safe way home.”

The “Have A Plan” App operates on iPhone, Android and Windows platforms, and has features such as an ability to preload a list of designated drivers, find a taxi cab via GPS, and a “Report DWI” button that connects users to their local 911 service. Users can download the “Have A Plan” app by visiting www.stopdwi.org/mobile app and selecting the link for the Apple Store, Google Play, or the Windows Phone Store.