A crackdown on drunken drivers is planned now through Labor Day, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
The “You Drink, You Drive, You Lose” campaign will include more than 150 law enforcement agencies across Kansas working to stop drunken driving.
Law enforcement will look for and pull over all motorists who show signs of impaired driving, according to a KDOT spokesman. Funds are being made available for extra enforcement and overtime during this time.
According to KDOT, Labor Day weekend is one of the most dangerous times to be on the road. Three people are injured every day in alcohol-related crashes in Kansas, on the average. Nationally, more than one-third of all fatalities over the Labor Day weekend in 2016 involved a drunken driver with a blood alcohol content of .08 or greater.
“Drunk driving is not a victimless crime and is 100 percent preventable,” said Chris Bortz, Kansas Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Program manager. “Impaired drivers cause 20 to 25 percent of all traffic fatalities.”
Impaired drivers can face jail time, suspension of their driving privileges, fines and other costs of up to $10,000. Included in this cost, the offender will be required to install and pay monthly services fees on an ignition interlock, according to KDOT. Beyond the financial and legal penalties, impaired drivers face the risk of losing their own lives or taking someone else’s.
“Alcohol and driving never mix,” Bortz said. “If you plan on drinking don’t plan on driving.”