Alcohol-related traffic deaths decreased in 32 states but increased in 17 during the last five years, contributing to a nationwide overall increase after years of steady decline.

To help address the problem, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced the “You Drink, You Lose” impaired driving campaign that runs from Oct. 29, 2004, through Jan. 4, 2005. During the campaign, local officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols.

“With this campaign we are putting violators on notice that if they drink and drive, they face the prospect of being caught, arrested, and prosecuted,” Mineta said.

After years of gradual improvement, fatalities in alcohol-related crashes are on the rise nationally. In 2002, more than 17,000 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes on the nation’s highways, representing a death every 30 minutes. An estimated 258,000 people were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present – an average of one person injured approximately every two minutes.

With millions of people expected on America’s highways during the holiday season, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration anticipates that the next two weeks could be one of the deadliest periods ever for impaired driving fatalities.