From the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office...
Summer is ending, but there’s no end in sight to law enforcement’s crackdown on impaired driving. This Labor Day holiday, the Kansas Department of Transportation, the Drive To Zero Coalition and law enforcement urge drivers to think twice before driving drunk or high.
Enforcement for the “If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. Drive High, Get a DUI” safety campaign will run Aug. 14 through Sept. 2. According to KDOT, 67 people died in 2023 Kansas crashes involving an alcohol impaired driver. While this was a decrease from 95 deaths in 2022, persons sustaining serious injuries in alcohol-related crashes increased last year.
“Alcohol is the main impairing substance people think of while driving, but illegal recreational drugs, such as marijuana, are just as dangerous,” said Gary Herman, KDOT Behavioral Safety Manager. “Driving high and or drunk can still lead to a DUI, or worse.”
Those convicted of impaired driving will face stiff penalties, hefty financial consequences and time in jail. Take charge and don’t allow this to happen - designate a sober driver, use rideshare, take public transportation or stay home.
“The bottom line is if you are impaired, you should not be driving,” Herman said. “You place yourself, your occupants and anyone else you encounter along the road at risk. Every DUI victim is someone’s loved one.”