The Jackson Police Department will join other Missouri law enforcement agencies to crack down on drunken driving March 16-20.

The department will participate in statewide sobriety checkpoints and DWI saturation patrols in an effort to keep impaired drivers off the road.

"The sobering fact is that impaired driving contributes to 30 percent of all Missouri traffic fatalities," according to a news release from the Jackson Police Department. In 2009, 281 people were killed and 1,141 seriously injured in crashes involving an impaired driver in Missouri.

Consequences of drunken driving include jail time, loss of driver's license, or the mandated use of ignition interlocks. Other costs include higher insurance rates, court costs, attorney fees and lost time at work or possible job loss.

For more information, visit www.savemolives.com.