The Mississippi Highway Patrol will participate in an Operation Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort this holiday week.

The MHP will begin its 2017 Thanksgiving Holiday Enforcement Period Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 6 p.m., which will continue until Sunday, Nov. 26, at midnight.

State troopers will be assigned to saturation patrols to combat speeding and distracted and drunk driving. Safety checkpoints will also be established to remove impaired drivers from roads and promote seatbelt usage, according to a departmental press release.

According to the release, in 2016, MHP troopers investigated 171 crashes and two fatalities and arrested 67 individuals for DUI charges on state and federal highways during Thanksgiving week.

“We are asking motorists to join us in making the roadways safer in Mississippi and to include safe driving as part of their traveling plans,” MHP Captain Johnny Poulos said in the release.

The Picayune Police Department will also be in full force this holiday season in order to make the roads safe for everyone in the community.

“We’ll set safety checkpoints throughout town for Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Picayune Police Chief Bryan Dawsey said. “My biggest message to everyone is to not drink and drive. If you plan on drinking, designate a designated driver because you will go to jail. Our goal is to keep everyone safe and we will be out in full force during the holidays.”

Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said the sheriff’s department will not have an official enforcement period during the holiday period, but deputies will still be on patrol.

“Even though we will not set up checkpoints throughout the county, we will continue to patrol the highways like we normally do in an effort to keep everyone safe this holiday season,” Tucker said.