PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Department of Public Safety officials have scheduled 22 sobriety checkpoints in 18 counties during February.

The checkpoints are done each month in different counties as a way to discourage drivers from drinking and then driving. The checkpoints are funded by the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety and conducted by the South Dakota Highway Patrol with the help of local law enforcement.

February checkpoints are scheduled in the counties of: Brookings, Brown, Butte, Charles Mix, Clay, Codington, Davison, Fall River, Hughes, Lawrence, Lincoln, Minnehaha, Moody, Pennington, Roberts, Stanley, Walworth, and Yankton.

Both the Office of Highway Safety and the Highway Patrol are part of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety.