The Illinois State Police Department is teaming up with officers from other Midwestern states to crack down on drunk driving.

Don McNamara of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the roads are just as dangerous as ever.

“We think the public feels that the war against impaired drivers was won back in the 80s and they’re not really aware that we’re still killing the same number of people that we did 10 years ago,” he says.

McNamara says officers will step up efforts this Labor Day weekend to catch drunk drivers.

There were almost 17,000 alcohol-related deaths on the road last year in the country.