The colored lights that brighten the holiday season increasingly might include the blue-white-and-red flashes from tops of patrol cars.

To remove more drunken or drugged drivers from the road, Oregon State Police troopers, Benton County deputies and city police departments will be beefing up patrols for the remainder of December and through the New Year's celebration as part of what Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski has declared Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Month.

The crackdown begins Saturday as part of a nationwide effort. Police officials in Oregon and elsewhere said they want to underscore the dangers posed by impaired drivers. Stepped-up enforcement will continue through the New Year's holiday extended weekend.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 992 people were killed during December 2007 in crashes that involved a drunk driver with blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher - above the legal limit in every state as well as the District of Columbia.

"No amount of good cheer will be able to save you from the consequences of driving under the influence," said Capt. Gerry Gregg, director of the OSP's Patrol Services Division. "There will be no exceptions or excuses whether you are driving with a buzz or falling down drunk. You will be arrested."