You could see a different kind of red, white and blue this July 4th holiday if you choose to drink and drive. Law enforcement agencies will be out on Michigan's roads with special patrols looking for one thing -- drunk drivers.

As part of the Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. crackdown, agencies will be focused on nighttime enforcement, a time when motorists are more likely to engage in dangerous behavior, like driving drunk and not wearing safety belts.

Stepped up patrols began June 29 and run through July 8 and are funded by the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) through federal traffic safety dollars for additional enforcement. The funds will allow for a boost in patrols as well as a limited paid advertising campaign to bring awareness to the crackdown.

"Drunk driving is simply not tolerated on Michigan roadways and enforcement is strict and aggressive. This approach has helped lead to a 23 percent reduction in alcohol/drug related fatalities over the last five years," OHSP Director Michael L. Prince said. "For those who still choose to drive drunk, there will be hundreds of additional patrols on the roads using state-of-the art training and technology to identify those who have had too much to drink to be driving. If you are over the limit, you're under arrest."

Television, radio, cable TV and internet advertising will be focused in Metro Detroit and Flint to let motorists know about the crackdown. Targeted advertising will reach the group most likely to drive drunk -- men between the ages of 21 and 35.

In addition to the statewide crackdown, Kent and Kalamazoo counties will launch a pilot program called Night Patrol, focusing on safety belt use and drunk driving laws during nighttime hours. To promote Night Patrol, two new TV ads and a radio spot will run during the nighttime campaign.

In fatal crashes, safety belt use at night is 44 percent versus 73 percent during the day. This data shows drivers are buckling up significantly less often when the sun goes down. To combat this issue, stepped up patrols will be placed throughout West Michigan.

In 2007, there were 382 alcohol and/or drug-related traffic deaths, a decrease of 13 percent from 2006. Although the number of alcohol and/or drug-related traffic deaths went down last year, crashes involving alcohol are eight times more likely to be fatal.

The 44 counties utilizing federal traffic safety funding for overtime patrols include: Allegan, Alpena, Barry, Bay, Berrien, Calhoun, Charlevoix, Chippewa, Clinton, Delta, Eaton, Genesee, Gogebic, Grand Traverse, Hillsdale, Ionia, Iron, Isabella, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Marquette, Menominee, Midland, Monroe, Montcalm, Oakland, Oceana, Ogemaw, Otsego, Ottawa, Roscommon, Saginaw, Schoolcraft, Shiawassee, St. Joseph, Van Buren, Washtenaw, Wayne, and Wexford. For a listing of planned enforcement times, dates, and locations, visit www.michigan.gov/ohsp.