MHP steps up patrols as fatalities increase

Traffic deaths in this area are three times higher than they were at this time during 2002, the Montana Highway Patrol said.

Six people have been killed in this area since January, compared with two by this time last year, Highway Patrol Sgt. Mark Bosch said Monday. Alcohol or failure to use seat belts were factors in the majority of the deaths, Bosch said.

To combat the increased number of traffic fatalities, patrol officers and Hill County sheriff's deputies have implemented intensified or "saturated" patrols. During a saturated patrol, multiple officers work a single section of highway in s...