The Massachusetts Highway Patrol has announced an enforcement blitz will be rolled out in an effort to reduce the number of serious and fatal Massachusetts car accidents through the remainder of summer. The blitz will be conducted each Friday and Saturday night and will search for drunk drivers and other traffic violators.
Dubbed Operation Lightning, the effort will include 20 extra troopers on the roads each Friday and Saturday night. During the last two weekends, the operation has resulted in the arrest of 24 motorists on drunk driving charges, as well as 15 other arrests. The extra patrols also issued 263 citations.
In addition to the increased enforcement, the patrol is also launching a “Click it or Ticket” campaign, which will use federal funding through the National Highway Transportation Administration to pay for an additional 460 four-hour patrol shifts through July 31. In August, a “Drunk Driving — Over the Limit — Under Arrest” grant will be used to provide a similar increase in patrols and enforcement.
The patrol also announced plans to run two or three sobriety checkpoints each weekend through the remainder of the year. Last weekend, checkpoints in Quincy and Auburn netted 12 drunk driver arrests. A previous weekend resulted in 16 OUI arrests in Haverhill and Springfield.
Troopers will also be looking for speeders, aggressive drivers and distracted drivers.
So far this year, the patrol reports 145 fatal accidents on Massachusetts roads — fewer than the 184 deaths recorded during the same period last year.
If you have been injured in a Massachusetts traffic accident, contact Boston Injury Attorney Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call 877-617-5333.