For the next couple of weeks, police agencies throughout Sonoma County will be cracking down on drunken drivers, with checkpoints and increased patrols.

The stepped-up enforcement is part of the county’s Avoid the 13 DUI Task Force, which includes all police agencies in the county, under a grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety via the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“We want motorists to know that from Friday, Dec. 17, to Monday, Jan. 3, every officer in Sonoma County will be working together to find impaired drivers and to get them off the road,” said Petaluma Police Sgt. Ken Savano, who’s coordinated the Avoid the 13 campaign for the last two years.

The first of two DUI/license checkpoints is planned for Friday night, weather permitting, but Savano declined to specify the city or location. If this weekend’s expected heavy storm washes out the checkpoint, officers will switch to patrol cars to look for DUI suspects. A second checkpoint will be held later during the crackdown.

Officers also will be conducting DUI probation and parole checks, serving warrants and monitoring habitual offenders, during the campaign, Savano said. Extra officers targeting DUI suspects will be on patrol during the 18-day campaign, he said, plus all local officers are being told to be extra vigilant for possible drunken drivers.

Last year during the Christmas-New Year’s crackdown, 201 drivers were arrested on suspicion of DUI and 29 people were arrested on DUI warrants. Of last season’s eight DUI-related crashes, all resulted in injuries, for a total of 10, Savano said. No one was killed.

“We know that the holiday season can be one of the deadliest and most dangerous times on America’s roadways due to an increase in drunk driving,” Petaluma Police Chief Dan Fish said in a statement. “Don’t let your 2010 end in an arrest or worse, death. Remember, whether you’ve had way too many or just one too many, it’s not worth the risk!”