Posted Wednesday, December 12, 2012 --- 1:13 p.m.

Press Release from the Dane Co. Sheriff's Office:

Madison, WI. December 12, 2012 – The success of last year’s Drive SMART grant from the WI Department of Transportation, has spurred the renewal of the grant to the Dane County Sheriff’s Office for another year of overtime enforcement on Highway 12/18, otherwise known as the beltline.

The first deployment will be Saturday, December 15th from approximately 7:00 pm to 3:00 am. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office administers the grant, which also includes eight other law enforcement agencies that have jurisdiction on the beltline and major thoroughfares like Highways 51 and 18/151. Anywhere from 12-15 additional deputies and police officers will be working throughout the shift to strictly enforce all traffic laws. From May to September of 2012, participating agencies handed out well over 2,000 citations for traffic violations, most often speeding.

SMART stands for Sober, Moderate Speed, Alert, Restrained, and Thoughtful. The acronym is meant to remind drivers to make safe driving their priority when they get behind the wheel. In addition to enforcement, the grant provides funding for billboard and radio ads to make drivers aware that deputies and police officers will be performing strict enforcement, and provides them with equipment such as lasers. The total amount of the grant is $125,000. In addition to the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, participating agencies include the City of Madison, Town of Madison, Middleton, Monona, Verona, McFarland, Fitchburg, and Cottage Grove.

The holidays can be a hectic time. Parties are frequent and with so much to accomplish, drivers can be distracted and rushed. So far in 2012, 32 people have lost their lives in traffic crashes in Dane County. Let’s stop that number from growing by Driving SMART, today and everyday.