Increased law enforcement on the road this St. Patrick’s Day, spring break

For St. Patrick's Day and the rest of spring break, the Texas Department of Public Safety wants to remind everyone of the consequences of drinking and driving. 

On Tuesday, you'll see more law enforcement patrolling on the roads.

DPS is teaming up with El Paso Police and the El Paso County Sheriff's Office for their DWI Task Force to get drunk drivers off the road.

"We hope that when people get arrested for DWI, something clicks, something changes in their lives," says Staff Sgt. Eliot Torres.

They're expecting increased driving of irresponsible partygoers who get behind the wheel after drinking too much, and end up going the wrong way on I-10 or crash into barriers. 

There will be increased law enforcement at typical bar hotspots like Zaragoza, Cincinnati, the Downtown bar district, Eastlake and Fabens. 

"People would booze-cruise, they would have open containers in their car, and the majority of the time they were younger people," says Torres. "And the moment they get handcuffs on them, that's when the tears start coming down their face, and they realize that something major is about to happen in their life."

They recommend anyone who knows they can't drink responsibly should have a ride planned.