This weekend, the Pullman Police department will join other local police agencies in county-wide DUI emphasis patrols as a way to make the roads safer during Mom’s Weekend.

The patrols are a part of “Target Zero,” a Washington state Strategic Highway Safety Plan with the goal to completely eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030, according to the Washington State Patrol website.

Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins said dates are typically set for state-wide patrols that are closer to holidays. However this often conflicts with the Pullman area because students leave for the holidays.

Jenkins said they were allowed to choose their dates this year and decided April 10 – 12, the weekend of Mom’s Weekend, and April 24 – 25, the weekend of Springfest.

According to the press release from Pullman PD, half of the 24 traffic deaths that occurred from 2009 to 2014 involved a motorist who was driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol. In 2014 alone, three of the four traffic deaths in Whitman County involved an alcohol or drug impaired driver.

Reporting by Matthew Brunstetter