SNOHOMISH COUNTY — Seventeen people died in Snohomish County in driving under the influence crashes last year. In an effort to save lives, extra officers from a variety of law enforcement agencies, including Marysville and Arlington, will be looking for DUI drivers between Aug. 19 and Sept. 5 during the annual Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign.

Last year in Snohomish County, during the same time period, officers on routine and extra patrols arrested 266 people for DUI. For all of 2010, in Snohomish County, 4,338 people were charged with DUI.

A new law called “Hailey’s Law” went into effect on July 22, 2011. Now all DUI arrestees’ cars will be towed and impounded for at least 12 hours. Only a registered or legal owner who was not in the car at the time of arrest is allowed to get the car out of impound before the mandatory 12 hours.

“This new law helps eliminate the danger of drunk drivers getting back into their cars and putting everyone at risk,” said Lowell Porter, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. “Now all drunk drivers face the costs of towing and impound in addition to jail time, losing their driver’s license, and the high cost of a DUI.”The Arlington, Brier, Edmonds, Everett, Granite Falls, Lake Stevens, Lynnwood, Marysville, Mill Creek, Monroe, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Snohomish and Tulalip Police Departments, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol will join nearly 10,000 other agencies nationwide in this Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign. The Bothell Police Department will also conduct patrols as part of the Snohomish County effort.

The Snohomish County DUI and Target Zero Traffic Safety Task Force organizes and supports this enforcement effort.