Louisville Metro Police plan to saturate streets on New Year's Eve to watch for drunk revelers on the roads.LMPD will add patrols and Traffic Unit officers on the streets Tuesday and through the holiday, said Sgt. Ruby Ellison of the Traffic Unit.They'll concentrate on Bardstown Road, Shelbyville Road and Dixie Highway, but police will also be on other highways, side streets and interstates. LMPD will not have safety checkpoints.“We can cover more ground that way as opposed to concentrating on just one specific area," Ellison said. "If we’re out in a lot of different places we’ll obviously be able to cover more intoxicated drivers.”As we reported last week, this has been a particularly dangerous year on Louisville roads. (Here's last week's story, with a graphic and maps details the traffic deaths.)Traffic deaths have spike 30 percent in Jefferson County this year compared to 2012, according to Kentucky State Police. That's despite decline statewide.Driver inattention, speeding and not using safety restraints were leading factors in Jefferson County's traffic death spike, Lt. Joe Seelye, commander of the Traffic Unit, told WFPL.LMPD's enforcement plan for New Year's Eve, Ellison said, are similar to last years; there were no traffic deaths on the holiday last year.She encouraged New Year's Eve revelers to consider how they'll get around town.“Plan ahead. Absolutely, plan ahead," she said. "Designate your driver before you leave for your venue, a day ahead if you can. Utilize taxis, City Scoot’s available.” Taxi phone numbers are here; CityScoot's info is here.(Image via Shutterstock)
