SPRINGFIELD — More people are being arrested for driving under the influence, including more with multiple convictions for impaired driving.

That has local authorities taking more steps to crack down on the problem.

Sgt. Steve Duteil of the Ohio Highway Patrol’s Springfield post said two drivers have been arrested in the last two weeks who have 16 total convictions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Duteil called habitual repeat offenders “a huge concern.”

“It is a big problem here. We only have a limited amount of resources to combat it,” he said.

The patrol and other agencies are targeting the New Year’s holiday to crack down on drunk drivers. They’ve flooded the airways with “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” ads and will pay overtime to have more officers on the street.

“We’re educating and trying to get people to stay where they’re partying at, not drive, or have a designated driver or call a cab,” Duteil said.

Last year, the patrol arrested 243 people over the New Year’s holiday weekend, up from 152 arrests in 2009.

Thirty-eight people died on Ohio roads between Dec. 22 and Dec. 31 in 2010, the highest holiday death toll in at least five years.

Statewide, OVI arrests are tracking about 2 percent higher, with 23,395 people charged so far this year.

That includes Michael D. Mcallister, 58, and Scott Rice, 45, both of Springfield.

Mcallister has been charged with two OVI counts and two counts of driving under suspension. He allegedly rear-ended a vehicle stopped at a stop sign on Blee Road near U.S. 68 on Christmas Eve, Duteil said.

Rice was arrested Dec. 14 and charged with OVI.

Mcallister has six prior OVI convictions and Rice has 10.

Duteil said law enforcement officers are boosting enforcement to fight the trend.

“We want to send the message if you are going to drink, get a designated driver (or) you’ll be arrested,” he said.

More than 80 Ohio law-enforcement agencies plan stepped-up patrols to catch drunken drivers during the holiday season. If you see someone who shouldn’t be on the road, call (877) 7-PATROL.

The Columbus Dispatch contributed to this report.