Through the Labor Day weekend, North Dakota motorists can expect to see a greater law enforcement presence on the highways.

On Wednesday, the Department of Transportation, along with first lady Mikey Hoeven and the Highway Patrol, kicked off their annual campaign designed to reduced the number of drunken drivers on the roads.

This year, they have more funding to wage the fight - about twice as much as last year.

DOT director Francis Ziegler, at a press event Wednesday at the Capitol, said this year $75,000 will be dispersed among 40 agencies in the state in an effort to remove drunken drivers from the roads.

Last year, Zeigler said $40,000 was allocated for the campaign that funds overtime wages for law enforcement agencies.

The increase in funding for this year comes from a grant through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, he said.

"We have a problem," Ziegler said. "Too many people are dying on our highways."

The number of fatal crashes this year compared to last has increased slightly - from 61 to 67 - but in those crashes, 84 people have died, an increase of 21 though the same time period last year.

As in previous years, the first lady is helping spearhead the campaign: "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit, Under Arrest."

Hoeven said that the 48 alcohol-related crashes in 2008 accounted for nearly half of all traffic fatalities in the state.

Of all the alcohol-related fatalities, about 16 percent were under the legal age for drinking, she said.

Col. James Prochniak, superintendent of the Highway Patrol, said one of the focuses of the increased enforcement efforts will be more visibility for law enforcement agencies on the road.

With local schools resuming classes, college students returning to campuses and farmers harvesting their crops, there is a marked increase in traffic this time of the year.

"It's definitely a busy time of the year," he said.

Last year during the same time period, 816 citations were written that included 154 DUI citations, Prochniak said.

Ziegler referred to the DOT's approach to reducing drunken driving as the "Four Es": engineering, education, enforcement, emergency management services and a fifth "E," everyone.

He said the public as a whole can have an impact in reducing alcohol-related crashes by being more attentive while driving and designating a sober driver beforehand.

"We all have to work together," he said.

Prochniak said it's partnerships between the public, business and law enforcement that ultimately will help roads become safer.

He said it is still "disheartening" to know that with the various options people have, they still choose to get behind the wheel of vehicle after drinking.

With 154 DUI citations written last year during the same two-week period, Prochniak said one of the goals of the campaign was realized - fewer drunken drivers on the state's roads.

"I would like to think we saved somebody's life," he said.

(Reach reporter Brian Gehring at 250-8254 or brian.gehring@bismarcktribune.com.)