The passing of Thanksgiving brings us full force into the holiday season, a joyful time to celebrate with family and friends. Neighborhood gatherings, family events and holiday festivities all multiply in the coming weeks. Along with the celebrations is another thing that multiplies during the holiday season: drunk driving.

This year troopers are using another important tool in combating drunk driving. Through a grant, the Department of Public Safety purchased nine mobile blood alcohol testing vehicles, so that accurate and effective data can be collected at a checkpoint. The &uot;BATmobiles,&uot; as they are called, allow law enforcement officers to spend more time on patrol and at checkpoints rather than having to bring in a suspect to the station for an alcohol test.