The Nevada Department of Wildlife says drinking is one of the leading causes in boat crashes and deaths.

As we head into the holiday weekend, local police agencies are working together to watch for drunk drivers and boaters.

Nevada State Police (NSP) and many law enforcement agencies are joining forces for an increased DUI patrol. 

The program starts today and runs through July 21, but this weekend has a lot of emphasis due to the holiday.

NSP says these extra patrols are crucial to keep our roads safe.

"This works important because you see the outcome with 138 fatalities this year on Nevada roadways," said Sgt. Robert Nivarel, NSP. "We have way too many people getting killed, a lot of innocent people getting killed."

While there's been saturation patrols in the past, they usually only last a night or the weekend.

Due to summertime, crews will be doing it for almost a month.

NSP says they're doing it to try to bring down vehicle fatalities and working with other agencies will help them.

"So, working well with other agencies is important in law enforcement," Sgt. Nivarel said. "It gets all agencies in combined and we're doing one task for one common goal."

NSP suggests if you see a suspected drunk driver, you can dial *NHP to connect with their dispatch.

Moving from land to lakes, a nationwide Operation Dry Water is underway for July 1 through July 3.

Local law enforcements partake in their jurisdictions to crack down on drinking and boating.

Nevada Department of Wildlife says drinking is one of the leading causes in boat crashes and deaths. 

"It's funny because drinking and boating people think they go hand and hand, but they don't," said Aaron Meier, Boating Education Coordinator for Nevada Department of Wildlife. "It's the exact opposite because drinking affects your vision, your balance, it affects your judgement. Those are the kind of things you need when you're shooting across the lake in a powerful boat."

With the heat expected through the weekend, it can amplify the impairments of drinking.

NDOW says the last thing they want to do is make a DUI arrest, but the danger and stakes of the tragedy is why they do it.

"The problem is they've seen what happens on the other end of that," Meier said. "They've seen what happens when people drink and operate their boats. They're the ones that have to go find the victims' bodies. They're the ones that have to go to the shore and talk to the families of the people who just died out there. They've seen how bad it gets when people drink and boat."

If you plan on drinking this weekend or honestly ever, make sure you have a sober person drive you home or use a rideshare option.Â