On Thursday, a team of York County Sheriff’s Office deputies along with troopers from the Maine State Police will partner on several sobriety checkpoints.

Sheriff William King said the checkpoints will be located on roads that have a high number of motor vehicle crashes, including Route 111 in Arundel, Route 202 in Waterboro and Route 109 in Acton

“These checkpoints will kick off the long Memorial Day weekend in which many people will be on our roadways to enjoy a time with family and friends,” King said. “As summer events are planned, motor vehicle travel will increase. Your safety or life may depend on what a motor vehicle operator does once they enter a vehicle.”

Additional deputies, hired using grants from the Department of Highway Safety, will be patrolling York County highways to ensure drivers comply with traffic safety laws, he said.

“The extra patrols will be focusing on operators who choose to speed, drive impaired, drive while being distracted (texting) and drive without using their seat belts,” King said.

Chief Deputy Tom Baran and Deputy Dan Shaw attended the highway safety bureau’s “Border to Border” seatbelt initiative in Kittery on Monday, he said.

“Consistent safety-belt use is the single most effective way to protect people from being ejected from a vehicle or thrown around violently inside the vehicle during a crash,” King said. “Teens are needlessly killed or injured in large part because of a lack of safety-belt use combined with inexperience behind the wheel.”