Arkansas State Police: Don't drive tipsy, loaded or lit

Arkansas law enforcement will be out in force to deter driving while impaired today through the weekend. Why it matters: More than 1,400 drivers died in traffic crashes across the nation during the Fourth of July holiday period from 2018 through 2022, and 545 of those were drunk, the Arkansas State Police said in a news release.

Of the drivers killed, about half were ages 21-34.

State of play: State troopers and local law enforcement will have an increased presence as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.

• In Fayetteville, police will have an "increased effort" through Sunday, Sgt. Stephen Mauk told Axios.

Driving the news: NWA saw three high-profile cases of suspicion of driving while intoxicated in recent weeks. John Randal Tyson , heir to Tyson Foods, was arrested June 13; the others were Bradley Renfro , deputy chief of the Fayetteville Police Department, late on June 26, and ASP trooper Mitch Smothers a day later after rolling over a vehicle with two children aboard.

• Tyson and Renfro were suspended from their jobs; Smothers resigned from the state police.

What they're saying: "We want to make it clear that, on this Fourth of July holiday, we will have a zero-tolerance policy against drinking and driving," Col. Mike Hagar said in the ASP news release.

• Regarding Renfro, Mauk said it's good to point out that no matter who you are, driving impaired isn't legal.

The bottom line: Uber, Lyft and multiple taxi and car services operate in NWA.