Bucks County Police Departments Ramping Up DUI Patrols Thanksgiving Eve

Thanksgiving Eve is one of the most popular nights for people to meet up at bars, pubs, taverns, and other watering holes. With family and friends home for the holiday, libations typically flow heavily on Wednesday night.

That's why police from eight Bucks County police departments will usher in the most heavily traveled Thanksgiving in almost a decade with roving DUI patrols along the Street Road corridor Wednesday night, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.

Beginning at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve, 21 police from Bensalem, Middletown, Solebury, Upper Southampton, Warrington and Warwick Townships, as well as Newtown and Penndel Boroughs, will patrol the four-lane thoroughfare from Bensalem to Warrington, as well as its feeder streets, until approximately 3 a.m. Thursday, the DA's office said. The Warminster Township Police Department has agreed to serve as a booking station.

“Thanksgiving Eve has historically been among the worst for DUI incidents across the county and the country,” District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said in a press release. “By publicizing and operating this roving DUI task force countywide, we hope to accomplish three goals: prevention, deterrence and public protection.

“It’s simple,” Weintraub said. “Have fun; just don’t drink and drive.”

This is the first step in a long-term DUI enforcement plan in Bucks County that is possible thanks to a federal grant administered through PennDOT, the DA's office said.

In Pennsylvania, the Thanksgiving weekend was the third-deadliest holiday period in 2015, with 21 traffic deaths and 1,428 crashes, according to PennDOT.

Last year, 10 drivers were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence when a similar DUI patrol was deployed on Thanksgiving Eve, the DA's office said.

Street Road is among Bucks County’s most accident-prone roads, and Thanksgiving Eve is one of the most hazardous nights to be driving, the DA's office said.

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