NILES — Watch your speed, obey traffic laws and don't drink and drive.

Motorists should always heed that message.

This holiday weekend is no exception, except that inattentive motorists will likely get caught.

That's because there will be an influx of state police on roads from Michigan and Indiana to nearly every state.

“This weekend, troopers will be watching for unsafe driving behaviors with a special emphasis on motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” said Col. Peter Munoz, director of the Michigan State Police.

The Niles Post of the Michigan State Police is part of the stepped-up police presence on roads in southwest Michigan.

Anything from driving too close to other cars to not wearing a seatbelt may trigger a trooper to pull over a motorist, police said.

The official Fourth of July weekend began at 6 p.m. on Friday and runs through midnight on Sunday.

Last year 14 fatal traffic crashes were recorded in the state over the holiday weekend, according to the MSP.

The safety initiative, called Operation C.A.R.E., Combined Accident Reduction Effort, began in 1977 with a joint effort between the MSP and the Indiana State Police and is one of the country's longest-running multistate safety plans, MSP said.

In the summer, police step up more patrols since more motorists hit the highways, police said.

Last month, a one-day commercial motor vehicle enforcement blitz by the MSP, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the Indiana and Illinois state police resulted in 594 driver and vehicle safety violations.

The enforcement effort focused on safe food transportation and driver violations along I-94 and the I-80 corridor.