Area law enforcement agencies will use sobriety checkpoints during next several weeks to crack down on drunken drivers.

The effort is part of the National Drunk Driving Over the Limit Under Arrest crackdown, which started Friday and continues through Labor Day on Sept. 1.

The Bowling Green Police Department will conduct checkpoints Friday and Saturday night the next two weeks.

City police will man checkpoints at Veterans Memorial Lane near Clay Street, University Boulevard near Old Morgantown Road and Scottsville Road near Cypresswood Way from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.

These roads were chosen because of the high traffic volume, said Officer Barry Pruitt, spokesman for city police.

“The goal of this is to impact as many drivers as possible,” he said.

Although citations are not the primary goal, the department is taking the effort seriously, Pruitt said.

Kentucky State Police has begun its portion of the effort, said Trooper Todd Holder, spokesman for state police.

“We’re maximizing our force through checkpoints while saving on fuel,” he said.

Fewer people drive under the influence because of education and publicized enforcement efforts, Holder said.

This effort ties into the KSP effort called Friday Nights Blue Lights, where troopers go to various football games and shortly before its conclusion, leave to set up a checkpoint near the stadium, Holder said.

“The goal of this effort is remind parents, students and football players to wear their seat belts and that all other safety equipment is being used correctly,” he said.

The Morgantown Police Department was at a checkpoint this past weekend with state police where three people were arrested for DUI, said Chief Billy Phelps.

“We intend to do several more during the enforcement effort,” he said.

Typically, areas participate in these efforts using overtime paid for through either a state or federal grant. In this instance, Morgantown officers are participating during normal shifts.

“Until recently, we had never participated in these efforts. We’re making a legitimate effort to be a proactive law enforcement agency,” Phelps said.

The strategy has been working. The crime rate this year in Morgantown appears as though it will be lower, Phelps said.

Law enforcement agencies will set up sobriety checkpoints

The following police checkpoints may be established anytime during the Over the Limit Under Arrest crackdown that started Friday and continues through Sept. 1 - Labor Day - in Warren County:

U.S. 31-W By-Pass at Ky. 240 in Woodburn; Ky. 242 in Rich Pond, at Old Louisville Road, Massey’s Grocery, Hardy & Sons Funeral Home; Ky. 185 at Miller Road; U.S. 68 at Blue Level Road and Carl Jordan Road; Ky. 101 at Allen County line, Ky. 1297 and Three Forks; U.S. 231 S. in Alvaton, U.S. 231 N. at Brookwood Road; Ky. 880 at Rock Creek Apartments, rear side of the airport and Ky. 1435 north; Ky. 884 at Ky. 242; Smallhouse Road at Elrod Road; Ky. 622 at Larmon Mill Road; Beech Bend Road at Double Springs, Garvin Lane and Ky. 185, one mile north of the Bowling Green city limits.