As the holiday season continues, the Pharr Police Department wants to remind the public to take extra precautions behind the wheel. Increased patrols are now in effect through Jan. 1, 2023.

Pharr Police officers will be on the lookout for speeding violations, traffic safety laws, seatbelts, drunk drivers and other violations.

The Pharr Police Department encourages the public to find safe ways home, including designating a sober driver. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas saw over 25,000 drunk driving related traffic crashes in 2021. According to the police department, driving intoxicated can not only be deadly but costly with one arrest amounting to upwards to $17,000 in fines and related costs, on top of jail time.