The Pickens County Sherriff’s Office has planned a series of sobriety checkpoints around the county on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day later this week.

COUNTY — With the new year dawning this week, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office has announced locations for sobriety checkpoints planned for Thursday and Friday.

According to a news release issued Monday by the sheriff’s office, sheriff Rick Clark has directed his community action team to focus primarily on the detection of impaired drivers during the holiday weekend.

Launched in 2014, the community action team consists of six deputies who focus on community disorders, ranging from minor traffic complaints to street-level drug sales.

“Routine and random” sobriety checkpoints manned by uniformed deputies in marked sheriff’s office vehicles are planned on Thursday and Friday at the following intersections:

• Walhalla Highway at Terrapin Crossing Road in Pickens

• South Norris Drive at Cook Road in Norris

• Saluda Dam Road at North Fishtrap Road in Easley

• Old Easley Highway at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Easley

• Farrs Bridge Road at Clear Dawn Drive in Easley

• Moorefield Memorial Highway at Odell Road in Liberty

In addition to normal holiday celebrations, many local residents will gather earlier in the day on Thursday as No. 1 Clemson takes on No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl with a trip to the National Championship game on the line.

“A lot of our citizens will be attending holiday parties and bowl game gatherings,” Clark said. “We encourage everyone that chooses to consume any alcoholic beverage to have a designated driver and drink responsibly.

“Pickens County has been blessed to not have the history associated with high volumes of accidents and fatalities linked to alcohol as some of our neighboring counties, but to lose one person is just senseless. If the sheriff’s office is able to prevent a single accident or injury during this holiday period, then that is one person that will be given the opportunity to perhaps live another day rather than being a victim in an alcohol-related death.”

Officials ask anyone who sees a vehicle being operation by what appears to be an impaired driver in Pickens County to dial 911 and report the location, description of vehicle and direction of travel so that a unit can be dispatched to investigate.